Vidam Park, which literally means amusement park, is one of the first public parks around. Situated in Budapest, Hungary, the park opened in the early 19th century and featured castle tours, a zoo, a circus, a boathouse with a wooden roller coaster introduced in 1922.
It was the place to be in 1896 for the turn of the century celebrations and was a symbol of Hungarian fun and leisure. Over the years, the park fell into disrepair and attendance dropped until it was finally shut down in 2013.
The Hippodrome
The Hippodrome Theater in New York was a happening place in its prime. It opened its doors in 1905 and was hailed as the world’s largest theater, seating over 5,000 people at a time. The theater featured films, circuses, and even famous magician, Harry Houdini.
The Hippodrome was most successful in the 20’s but later on experienced a sharp drop in business leading to its eventual closing in 1939. These days, the structure houses an office building.
The Aquatarium
The Aquatarium in St. Petersburg Florida was a theme park that was housed inside a 160-foot tall golden geodesic dome. The attraction opened its doors in 1964 and tourists from all around the world arrived to watch marine animals in special shows. The main stars were porpoises, sea lions, whales and a dolphin named “Floppy”. The dome had a beautiful view of the Gulf of Mexico which certainly didn’t hurt.
The crowds began to lose interest when Disney World opened in Orlando in 1971. To keep attendance high and hoping to capitalize on the success of Jaws, a special shark exhibit was added in 1976. The attempt failed and the park closed its doors in 1977. The area has since been turned into condominiums.
The Twelve Apostles
A collection of limestone stacks off the shore of Port Campbell National Park in Victoria Australia were nicknamed the Twelve Apostles. The stacks were formed by erosion and their close proximity to each other, making them inviting to tourists. These days, only eight apostles are left standing after the ninth collapsed in 2005.
Visitors still come to the site to witness the remaining rock stacks and the rubble left behind, but the view is not nearly as impressive as it used to be. Despite the name, no one has ever gotten to see twelve apostles, the stacks started with just nine.
The Dharahara Tower and Other Nepalese Landmarks
A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake destroyed some of the most famous and culturally significant landmarks in the city of Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal in April 2015. The most famous landmark destroyed was the Dharahara Tower. The white candle-shaped tower was originally 100-foot tall but turned into a 30-foot pile of rubble.
A number of UNESCO World Heritage sites were also impacted by the quake, some of which were at least 1,700 years old.