In Northern Turkey just outside of the historic town of Mudurnu you’ll find a massive ghost town filled with abandoned mansions straight out of a Disney fairytale. They look eerily similar to Cinderella’s castle, but they’re empty on the inside, and many of them are starting to fall apart.
The Burj al Babas resort, in Turkey, was meant to attract wealthy tourists from the West and the Middle East, but has instead has hundreds of unfinished buildings. We prepared 25 stunning photos of abandoned Disney Castles.
History of Abandoned Disney Castles
Burj Al Babas was supposed to be a luxurious $200 million resort with a massive marble-filled complex right in the center of town. Construction began in 2014 and the goal was to create a 200 million dollar resort town near picturesque Turkish town of Mudurnu. Unfortunately only 530 of the 732 planned mansions were built and none of them were completely finished.
The interiors of the mansions that were built are empty and some are now in such bad shape that they are starting to fall apart. The abandoned Disney Castles that are still standing and there are nothing more than husks. Burj al-babas is even creepier than most ghost towns because all of the mansions were designed in an unsettling gothic style.
The blue gray steeples and balconies that adorn the mansions make them look like miniature Disney castles and that’s what they could have been if they were completed. Each mansion was supposed to sell for between 400,000 and 500,000 dollars. The mansions were supposed to have luxurious interior features like vaulted ceilings, ornate plaster work and parquet flooring.
There were plans for each mansion to have a sweeping spiral staircase leading to the upper level and rooftop terrace. Developers planned to cater to wealthy oil and gas executives and some of the mansions were even sold. However, financial problems quickly arose and the buyers backed out Burj Al Babas was going to be more than just mansions.
Why Disney Castles are abandoned?
Developers managed to sell 350 of the mansions. But the sales fell through when the price of oil tanked. It’s hard to sell a mansion to an oil tycoon when he has less disposable income. Economic collapse and real estate crisis in Turkey made finding new buyers and investors practically impossible. Add to that political turmoil and a declining Turkish lira and you have a recipe for disaster.
Burj Al Babas was built for foreign buyers and they just weren’t interested. Developer Sarot Group soon racked up 27 million dollars in debt and faced a court-ordered bankruptcy. Ruling in 2019 they filed for bankruptcy and abandoned Burj Al Babas completely. No other developer has stepped in to finish the project and the mansions continue to crumble every day.
Photos of Abandoned Disney Castles
How To Get To The Abandoned Disney Castles?
In the hilly woodlands of northwestern Turkey, in Bolu Province, sits an otherworldly sight: Burj Al Babas, the world’s most famous ghost town.
- Take a regular train from Istanbul to Mudurnu. It will take 5 hours and 20 minutes
- From Mudurnu train station take a bus or taxi to the Burj Al Babas
- Get out from bus or taxi at Burj Al Babas and walk 5 minutes to abandoned Disney Casltes
