37 Abandoned Resorts From a Bygone Era You Can Still Visit

26. Pyramiden, Svalbard (Norway): Arctic Soviet Ghost Town

Deep within the Arctic Circle on the Svalbard archipelago lies Pyramiden, a former Soviet coal mining settlement abandoned in 1998. Remarkably preserved by the frigid climate, it remains a time capsule of Soviet life, complete with a statue of Lenin, functional infrastructure (now maintained for tourism), apartment blocks, and cultural buildings. Accessible by boat tours in summer, exploring Pyramiden offers a surreal journey into a deserted community set against a backdrop of dramatic Arctic mountains and glaciers – a literal ghost of the Soviet era.