Poveglia Island is an abandoned plague shelter. Plague Island of Venice - a place of true evil (6 photos) Island for the mentally ill

Poveglia Island

The uninhabited island of Poveglia is located next to Venice and is guarded by maritime patrols around the clock. Local fishermen call it Bloody Island. Swimming to its shores is strictly prohibited. On the island itself there is a ghost town with dilapidated buildings.

The first mention of this island dates back to 421, when the inhabitants of Padua and Este fled here to escape the invasion of barbarians led by the Ostrogoth king Totila. On the island, refugees found a safe haven, their village grew and prospered.

In 1379, during the war between the Venetian and Genoese republics, the island of Poveglia was shelled by the Genoese fleet. Then the Venetian government ordered the construction of a permanent fortification on the island to protect the entrance to the lagoon, while the inhabitants were forcibly relocated to other places.

At the end of the 18th century, the island became a quarantine station for sailors. Before landing in Venice, they were quarantined there for forty days. This procedure was necessary and carried out in order to combat the bubonic plague epidemic in Europe.

Fighting the Plague

Back in the Middle Ages, the island of Poveglia began to be used as a place of exile for plague patients. For fear of the spread of the epidemic, the authorities sent tens of thousands of citizens there who showed even the slightest signs of illness. For people it was a death sentence. There were no exceptions for anyone: neither for commoners, nor for representatives of the nobility and their families.

Fact: “The corpses of people who died on the island were burned there in the flames of giant bonfires.”

The plague came to Venice more than once. In 1575-1577, 50 thousand people died from the epidemic, which accounted for more than a quarter of the city's population. Then it was decided to bring both the dead and those who could be carriers of the disease to the island of Poveglia. Living people, including children and infants, were taken there and thrown into pits next to rotting corpses. Sometimes they were burned alive along with the dead.

In 1630, the bubonic plague came to the city again. People began to be taken to the island and burned again. The authorities tried to stop the spread of the disease with such cruel measures. This ensured that the total number of victims in the city amounted to only a third of the population, while the whole of Italy lost two thirds.

Fact: “In just a few centuries, more than 160,000 people died and were burned on the island.”

Damn place

According to local residents, the soil on the island of Poveglia is mixed with ash and dust, and its top layer practically consists of the remains of human bodies.

Fishermen avoid its surroundings if possible, since from time to time human bones, charred and polished by the waves, still get caught in their nets.

This place has given rise to many rumors and legends. No one risked building buildings on this long-suffering land. In 1527, after the first outbreak of the epidemic, the Camaldolian monks were offered land on the island practically for nothing, but they refused. In 1661, the authorities tried to restore the village for the descendants of the island's once resettled inhabitants, but they also refused to move. In 1777, the island of Poveglia became a checkpoint for cargo and passenger ships.

In 1793, several cases of plague were again recorded on ships, and carriers of the dangerous disease were kept on the island. In 1814, due to the cessation of outbreaks of plague, the island was no longer used as a quarantine zone, and the infirmary on it was closed. The island again became uninhabited for more than 100 years.

Mysticism on Poveglia Island

In 1922, by order of the Venetian authorities, the buildings remaining on the island were converted into a mental hospital.

Later, mentally healthy people, enemies of Mussolini’s fascist regime, began to be sent there.

A few years later, the head doctor of the hospital died under strange circumstances. He unexpectedly climbed onto the bell tower and threw himself down. One of the nurses who witnessed the disaster stated in her testimony that after the fall the doctor was alive and died not from bruises, but from a strange white fog. This fog rose from the ground and entered the body of the unfortunate man, taking his life.

The deceased doctor was buried by the patients of the hospital: his body was laid with bricks in the wall of the bell tower. After this, the hanging bell suddenly began to ring on its own at night. Concerned people turned to the authorities for help. The bell was removed, but sometimes at night its ringing could still be heard.

The hospital existed on the island of Poveglia until the 1960s. After its closure, the authorities prohibited the construction of any structures for tourists on the island.

Present day

On the island, a bell tower and dilapidated hospital buildings with bars on the windows, old beds and fragments of household and medical equipment have been preserved to this day.

Thrill-seekers come here from time to time. They say that no birds or insects can be heard on the island, while from time to time moans and screams are heard near the buildings, and unclear shadows flash in the air. People experience an oppressive feeling of constant surveillance, which gradually develops into a desire to escape from here. Sometimes in photographs taken on the island, one can discern mysterious dark silhouettes resembling human figures.

In 2007, several Americans visited Poveglia Island. They said that after disembarking, the mobile phones immediately went dark and turned off. Tourists approached the buildings in the dark and took some pictures. Suddenly a terrible scream was heard. They immediately rushed to the boat. In the photographs they took, they discovered the silhouette of a man whom they had not seen near the buildings. This silhouette was transparent, and through it one could see the details of the landscape.

A small island between Venice and Lido, Poveglia is one of the most famous and darkest in northern Italy. It is full of terrible events and shrouded in the most incredible, mystical rumors.

However, the mystery of the ghostly island of the Venetian Lagoon is truly creepy. It all started in those days when the ruthless “Black Death” walked across the country, devastating settlement after settlement. Then Poveglia became a kind of quarantine zone where plague patients were exiled.


They say that during that period, about 160,000 people were buried on the island, and many of the souls of the dead, having turned into ghosts, still remain wandering around. gloomy island.


In addition, Poveglia's gloomy reputation is reinforced by the psychiatric clinic that opened here later, in 1922. Her patients claimed that they saw the souls of the dead, whose bodies were disfigured by the plague, heard whispers and strange echoes. But who will believe crazy people?


At the same time, the doctor who treated the patients of the clinic actually conducted experiments on them, tortured them and doomed them to terrible torment. However, the fate of the local psychiatrist ended no less tragically than the fate of his charges. When they tried to arrest him, he jumped out of the bell tower window.

Since then, the island remained abandoned for about half a century, even fishermen tried to swim around it. But in 2014, Poveglia attracted the attention of Italian businessman Luigi Brugnaro, who even purchased it as property. The Italian decided that the eerie island was a great investment, and now hopes to develop it in order to subsequently attract tourists.


Meanwhile, the Italian island's notoriety continues. According to paranormal researchers, Paveglia is one of the most terrible places on the planet. For a long time, none of the people who visited here could survive on the ill-fated piece of land for more than a day.






Tourists do not always want only to relax: soak up the sun or have a lot of fun. There are adventurers who don't feed them bread - let them experience thrill. They prefer the peaceful Seychelles and the colorful Caribbean to islands that are fraught with danger and known for the tragedies that have occurred there.

First on the list of terrible islands is Ilha de Queimada Grande - Snake Island. It is located off the coast of Brazil. And everyone seems to enjoy this land, but the island is infested with dangerous snakes, such as poisonous spear-headed snakes. The bite of this creature causes irreversible tissue necrosis. The Brazilian government took care of its citizens and visitors and prohibited visiting the island.

Tourists are in no hurry to overcome restrictions and walk around the island. There are so many snakes there that there is a very high probability of stepping on one of their heads and dying from the poison.

Second on the list is the island of Poveglia. It is located in the Venice lagoon. The history of the island dates back to the times of the Roman Empire. Then people with the plague began to be exiled to the island. Several thousand patients died there. Since then, Poveglia has been a mass grave. Centuries passed and Europe fell ill with the bubonic plague. Anyone who seemed sick was brought to the island. The Romans, who left people to slowly die, turned out to be much more merciful than the inhabitants of the Middle Ages. Patients with bubonic plague were thrown into pits along with their corpses and burned. To this day, people still come across charred bones on the island. According to estimates, the island became a grave for 160 thousand people.

But that's not all. In 1922, Poveglia was built mental asylum. There, as in the best horror films, experiments were carried out on sick and not entirely human people. In addition, the ghosts of those who died from the plague haunted the hospital at night with screams and moans.

To this day, no one lives on Poveglia. In the mid-20th century, Italians tried to settle on the island, but the oppressive atmosphere of this place did not allow this.

The next island is Ramri. It is located near the coast of Burma. Many Japanese infantrymen died on Ramree in 1945. Allied forces on the small island were able to push back the Japanese. They, fleeing, rushed into the depths of Ramri. Most did not escape from the local swamps. Crocodiles attacked from all sides and tore the soldiers to pieces. This terrible death was so impressive that it was later included in the Guinness Book of Records.

Next – japanese islands Izu. This small chain of islands is no place for humans, although the few local residents they don't think so. In this area it is high volcanic activity, and the air there is saturated with sulfur. The concentration of this substance on the islands is the highest in the world. Those who enter the islands must dress up in special masks and wear them without taking them off at all times. Sometimes a siren starts to sound over the islands, which means that the concentration of sulfur in the air has reached lethal levels.

Scientists pay the natives a small amount of money, and people participate in a kind of experiment, the purpose of which is to find out what happens to a person after a long time spent in a protective mask.

The next point is a miraculous island, but it appeared only “thanks” to man - a large Pacific garbage patch. This is a huge mountain of garbage that has ever entered the waters Pacific Ocean. The spot appeared where currents had long carried human waste floating in the ocean. This ocean dump is the size of the state of Texas.

The horror of the spot’s existence, in addition to the disgust of realizing the existence of such an object in the ocean, is that the plastic eventually breaks down into particles the size of plankton. Stupid fish eat the remains of plastic and end up on our table with it in their bellies.

An island made of garbage, of course, is not suitable for walking due to its flimsiness.

Last on our list - famous island Fiji. Not many tourists heading there know that at one time in Fiji they devoured people, killed babies and tortured them in the most terrible ways. In the first half of the 19th century, a missionary came to the island, who later described what he saw there as follows: “October 31, 1839, Thursday. This morning we witnessed a shocking performance. 20 dead bodies men, women and children were brought to Rewa as a gift from Tanoa. They had to be cooked and eaten... The children had fun mocking the corpse of the little girl. A crowd of men and women were cutting up the corpses of a gray-haired old man and a young woman. Human remains floated down the river.”

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If you are attracted mysterious places, unusual buildings and ancient legends, then the list compiled website, you will probably find it interesting. Even if you do not encounter paranormal phenomena, you are still guaranteed a lot of impressions and great photographs.

Island of the Dolls (Isla de las Muñecas), Mexico

According to legend, a little girl drowned in a canal near the island, whose spirit never found peace. At least that's what Julian Santana Barrera thought. The man found the doll not far from the place where the girl died, and since then began collecting this eerie collection in order to appease the spirit of the dead child. This continued for 50 years, until Julian’s death. Despite the superstitions surrounding the Island of Dolls, tourists willingly visit it.

Sacred Forest (Sacro Bosco), Italy

The park ensemble “Sacred Forest” was built in 1548–1580 in the town of Bomarzo. The customer of the gloomy park was Duke Pier Francesco Orsini. The Sacred Forest contains 30 sculptures, such as Hercules, Aphrodite, the dog Cerberus, the sirens, as well as the falling house and the Gates of the Underworld. After several centuries of neglect, the park was restored and re-opened to visitors in 1954, at which time it received another name - “Garden of Monsters”.

Ghost town of Centralia, USA

In 1962, an incident occurred that turned this town into a kind of Silent Hill (by the way, some scenes of the film of the same name were filmed there). Firefighters burned garbage at a landfill, which was located in an abandoned coal mine pit. The flames spread to the coal seams, starting an underground fire that continues to this day. But even this does not stop lovers extreme tourism, photographers and journalists.

Hill of Crosses (Kryžių kalnas), Lithuania

Aokigahara Forest, Japan

"Aokigahara" translates to "Plain of Blue Trees", but this place is also known as the "Suicide Forest". He is not only popular tourist route, but also a favorite place for suicides from Tokyo and its environs. The authorities are doing everything possible to prevent the death of citizens. To achieve this, the forest is regularly patrolled, cameras and helpline signs are installed along the paths, and local residents report any suspicious-looking people to the police.

Ghost Town of Kangbashi, China

The lake is located in British Columbia, near the town of Osoyoos. The name translates as “spotted lake,” and the Okanagan Indians call it Kliluk and attribute mystical properties to it. The unusual appearance of the lake is explained by the high concentration of magnesium, silver, calcium and titanium sulfate. But tourists are unlikely to be able to get close to it without the permission of the elder of the local Indians, so they prefer to photograph the lake from a distance.

Gas crater Darweze (Derweze), Turkmenistan

The ossuary in Sedlec, or the Church of All Saints, is a cemetery in the suburbs of the Czech city of Kutna Hora, famous for the fact that the interior of this building is decorated with human bones. The cemetery was not able to accommodate all the dead, so in 1400 a chapel with a tomb was built, which was used to store the remains. Later, in the 19th century, the bones and skulls were cleaned, bleached and used for interior decoration.

Poveglia Island, Italy

Legends say that Poveglia, one of the islands of the Venetian lagoon, was a place where plague patients were exiled to die, and that is why the restless souls of the sick still roam there. In 1922, a psychiatric hospital was opened there, which existed until 1968. There were rumors that experiments were carried out on patients, and the chief doctor went crazy and committed suicide by jumping from the tower. The island was abandoned and remains in that state to this day.

When Hawaiian Islands became a US state, then, according to tradition, in the local government building, the Capitol, residents were allowed to erect a monument to two of the most significant figures. The first was the national hero, King Kamehameha. The second monument was erected in honor of the Catholic priest Damian de Wester.

Born into a wealthy Flemish merchant family in a Belgian village, Damian became a monk and was soon sent to Hawaii as a missionary. In the mid-19th century, the picturesque volcanic archipelago was far from the modern image of a tourist paradise. Contagious diseases were rampant on the islands; terminally ill patients referred to outlying islands, where they eked out a miserable existence without housing, hospitals, churches and an established way of life. The epidemic of leprosy, an infectious disease known since biblical times, was especially severe.
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Driven by compassion for the dying, Damian arrived on one of the islands where leprosy patients were exiled, and began building infrastructure - roads, warehouses, piers, hospitals. About a thousand colonists were given the opportunity to live with dignity and depart to another world - under the leadership of de Wester, the Church of St. Philomena was erected and four “brotherhoods” were organized (modern Christians would call these “ministries”). The “Funeral Brotherhood” helped with the funerals of deceased patients, the “Brotherhood of Holy Childhood” took care of street children, the “Brotherhood of St. Joseph” treated the sick at home, and the “Brotherhood of the Madonna” raised girls in the instruction of the Lord.

After 12 years in the leper colony, Damian himself fell ill with leprosy, which, however, did not prevent him from continuing his active pastoral and social activities. A few years later, covered from head to toe with leprosy, the weakened de Wester was transported to a Honolulu hospital. Before his death, he was visited by members of the Hawaiian royal family and others famous people, admired by his dedication to works of mercy. The priest's work continued, and the illness eventually subsided. Not least thanks to the example of Damian, who inspired many of his followers.

With his life, Damian de Wester in many ways repeated the path of Christ and walked in His footsteps. After all, the Son of God also left the Father’s house, eternal bliss, in order to descend to us, sick with the leprosy of sin, to give Himself as a sacrifice and die so that we could live. By His stripes we were healed. This means that when the Bible speaks of Christ as the Way, it is not just a plan or a route. This is the daily life of becoming like the Savior in His mercy, compassion, sacrifice, selflessness. Perhaps few of us are destined to be sent to the terminally ill (but who knows?), but we are all called to have the same feelings that He had. To all our neighbors, no matter how unclean and sinful they may seem to someone.

 

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