CNN-Certified Terror Level: The World’s Seven Most Haunted Forbidden Places

By / Scenic Spots Home Compilation Report
 
Traveling abroad is fun, but stepping into forbidden places can send chills down your spine. Here are the world’s seven most forbidden and eerie locations, certified by CNN for their terror level—each with its own terrifying story.

1.South Korea – Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital
 
Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital is South Korea’s most famous haunted forbidden site and one of the three most haunted houses. Located in Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, it has been abandoned for over 20 years. Since its closure, numerous ghost stories have emerged. It’s rumored that many criminals and patients died here. The 2018 horror film "Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum" was filmed on location. The hospital was demolished in May 2018, and it’s said that residential buildings may be constructed on the site.
 
Address: 159-3 Sindae-ri, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

2.Ukraine – Pripyat Amusement Park
 
Pripyat Amusement Park was set to reopen just five days before the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which led to its permanent abandonment before it even opened. Due to its proximity to the disaster, the park has become a ghostly, abandoned place with an incredibly eerie atmosphere that is truly frightening.
 
Address: Kurchatova Street, 10, Pryp'yat', Kyivs'ka oblast, Ukraine

3.Japan – Hashima Island
 
Hashima Island began coal mining development in 1890 and became a key pillar of Japan’s modernization as an undersea coal mining hub. Though a small island, it was home to nearly 5,000 residents at its peak. After closing in 1974, the island became uninhabited, but structures such as hospitals, schools, shrines, and a cinema built for residents remain intact. In 2015, Hashima Island was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, bringing it back into the global spotlight.
 
Address: Takashimamachi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture 851-1315 Japan

4.Czech Republic – Sedlec Ossuary (Bone Church)
 
The exterior of the Bone Church looks like a typical Gothic building, but inside, it features sacred decorations made from the skulls and bones of 40,000 people. Originally an unremarkable monastery, the church gained fame in the 13th century when Crusaders brought soil from Jerusalem and sprinkled it in the cemetery outside. This attracted many Central European nobles and wealthy individuals who wanted to be buried there. By the 14th century, the plague in Prague caused a surge in deaths and burials, with about 30,000 people laid to rest in the area.
 
Address: Zámčeská, 284 03 Kutná Hora, Czech Republic