In 1940, a group of teenagers discovered a cave full of wall paintings in Lascaux in Southwestern France. The cave contains over 600 paintings, mostly of wild animals, which are unbelievably over 17,000 years old. The beautiful and lifelike images remained in good condition for thousands of years but degraded rapidly once tourists were let into the caves around 1948.
In 1963, officials decided that the attraction must be closed to preserve the paintings. The public has not been allowed access ever since.
The Vance Creek Bridge
The Vance Creek Bridge in Mason County, Washington is an arch bridge that was built in 1929 by the Simpson Logging Company. The bridge was decommissioned in the ’70s when there was a logging decline in the area. It is the second-highest railroad arch in the United States and therefore although it is on private property, it is hardly surprising that it gained new life on the social media accounts of various thrill-seekers.
In 2014, the property owners who were afraid of vandalism and also potential lawsuits if anyone was injured, decided to close off access to the bridge. In 2017, some of the bridge’s wooden deck and railroad ties were dismantled.
Jonah’s Tomb
Jonah’s story is famous in the religious traditions of Jews, Christians and Muslims. He is known for being swallowed by a whale, or more accurately a great fish. The prophet’s actual tomb was allegedly situated in Iraq, but it was destroyed when terrorists from ISIS blew it up.
Their main goal for this bombing was to make headlines and spread their poisonous ideology. On the other hand, Americans have not been welcome in Iraq for many years, so you most likely were not going to get a chance to visit anyway.
The Azure Window
Malta’s Azure Window, a 92-foot-tall natural arch, faced thousands of storms over the years. It withstood them all until its eventual collapse in March 2017. The arch was located on Dwejra Bay on Gozo Island and was one of the country’s most famous tourist attractions.
The arch appeared briefly on the HBO hit show Game of Thrones before it succumbed to the forces of nature.
Sutro Baths
In 1896, wealthy entrepreneur Adolph Sutro built the Sutro Baths in San Francisco and opened them to the public. They served as the largest indoor swimming pool in the world and retained that title for decades. The baths were immensely popular but had difficulty making a profit due to the enormous costs for their maintenance and operations.
The baths consisted of saltwater pools which drew water in directly from the ocean and from one freshwater pool. After the baths were closed, the structure was turned into an ice skating ring and eventually burned down in 1966. The charred ruins now serve as a reminder of its glorious past.