These palaces and castles were originally the lavish homes of rulers or the dreamlike creations of aristocrats or business titans who fashioned themselves after royalty. They were considered to be the height of luxury when they were built. Now, they are dilapidated and crumbling. Some of these palaces have now been restored and even serve as wedding venues. Others, however, have remained untouched for years – reduced to a creepy spot to snap an Instagram photo. Keep reading for a closer look at 13 abandoned palaces around the world. Holiday cancelled? 5 virtual tours of famous UK attractions to visit online Swannanoa – Virginia, US View this post on Instagram A post shared by MICKEY STRIDER (@mstrider) on Aug 7, 2019 at 6:01pm PDT An American railroad executive called James H Dooley had this marble villa constructed in 1912 as a replica of the Villa de Medici in Rome. It took 300 artisans to complete and included a 4,000-piece Tiffany stained glass window. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MICKEY STRIDER (@mstrider) on Aug 3, 2019 at 5:18am PDT After the Dooleys died in the 1920s, the villa was converted into a country club. It was officially abandoned in the 1980s and then turned into a historical site. Today, Swannanoa Palace hosts weddings and weekly tours. Kirby Hall – Northamptonshire, UK Kirby Hall is a manor that was built in 1570 for the family of the Lord Chancellor to Elizabeth I. View this post on Instagram A post shared by D+K+O+M (@no_time_4_boredom) on Aug 22, 2020 at 2:40pm PDT The home has been abandoned since 1810. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jon Clynch (@authorjonclynch) on Aug 20, 2020 at 10:09am PDT Although still dilapidated, it is now maintained by English Heritage, which hosts paid tours of the property. The manor has also been used as a film set. Sans-Soucis Palace – Milot, Haiti The Palace of Sans Souci is located in the mountains of northern Haiti and was completed in 1813. It was the home of King Henri Christophe until his death in 1820. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Anita Sterea (@anita_sterea) on Feb 8, 2020 at 11:23am PST It was known as the “Versailles of the Caribbean”. The palace was irreparably damaged in an 1842 earthquake. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Christopher (@christopher.abroad) on Jun 20, 2020 at 4:30am PDT After standing empty for a century, it was designated a World Heritage Site in 1982. Duckett’s Grove – Carlow, Ireland Duckett’s Grove was built in the 1700s as part of the 5,000-hectare (12,000 acre) estate belonging to the prominent Duckett family. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Юмка в Ирландии (Дублин) (@uma_sukhova) on Aug 2, 2020 at 8:07am PDT The Gothic revival castle was badly damaged in a fire in 1933. Pidhirtsi Palace – Lviv, Ukraine Pidhirtsi Palace was designed by Italian architect Andrea dell’Aqua in the 17th century as a home for Polish military commanders. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lifestyle▪Travel▪Photo▪Art (@iren_ferley) on Jun 26, 2017 at 10:19am PDT The palace was then converted to a hospital for tuberculosis patients during World War II. It was then abandoned and now serves as a tourist attraction. How to have a safe, Covid-19-free road trip holiday this summer Grand Hôtel de la Forêt – Corsica, France Built in 1893, the Grand Hôtel was once a luxury hotel featuring a grand staircase and tennis courts. It was specifically designed to have a palatial feel. View this post on Instagram Le grand hotel de la forête #grandhoteldelaforet #edificiabbandonati #corse #corsica #corsicamylove #mistery #vizzavona #corsicalandscapes A post shared by Silvia Cozzi (@cinnamoon_78) on Aug 15, 2019 at 12:47pm PDT After World War II, though, the hotel had a difficult time attracting guests. It closed and was effectively abandoned. Wyndclyffe Castle – New York, US Built in 1853, Wyndclyffe Castle was once a 24-room country house for a Manhattan socialite, Elizabeth Schermerhorn Jones. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wyndclyffe Castle, est. 1853 (@wyndclyffecastle) on Jan 19, 2019 at 8:06am PST The mansion was once so opulent that it was said to have inspired the phrase, “keeping up with the Joneses”. It was abandoned in the 1950s. The dilapidated estate sold in a 2016 auction for US$120,000. Bannerman Castle – New York, US If you head 97km (60 miles) north of New York City, you will find a 2.6-hectare (6.5-acre) plot of land with a decrepit castle. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Castle Travellers (@castle.travellers) on Feb 6, 2020 at 10:24am PST It was built in 1901 by Francis Bannerman, a Scottish arms dealer who needed a place to store his merchandise, including guns and ammunition. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tyler Ruane (@drone_xplorer_520) on Aug 8, 2020 at 3:48pm PDT Bannerman died in 1918 and an explosion of the items housed inside destroyed the castle in 1920. It has been completely abandoned since the 1950s and is now open for tours. Villa de Vecchi – Cortenova, Italy Villa de Vecchi is a mansion east of Lake Como that is rumoured to be haunted. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RIGOROSAMENTE DI LECCO (@orgoglio_lecchesee) on May 27, 2020 at 11:43am PDT The house was built in the 1850s by the head of the Italian National Guard, Felix de Vecchi. As legend has it, he returned home on day to find his wife brutally murdered and his daughter missing. A lengthy search for his daughter turned up nothing and he died later that year. The villa was passed on to de Vecchi‘s brother, who lived there until World War II. View this post on Instagram #villadevecchi #urbex #casaabbandonata A post shared by Alessia Sangalli (@alelussin) on Aug 10, 2020 at 7:17am PDT No buyers were interested in the potentially haunted house and it has been left permanently uninhabited from the 1960s onwards. Sammezzano Castle – Leccio, Italy There is a 365-room abandoned palace atop a hill just south of Florence, Italy, that was built in 1605 by Spanish nobility. View this post on Instagram A post shared by amazingshots_arte (@amazingshots_arte) on Nov 12, 2019 at 12:30am PST It has seen several iterations: At one point, it was owned by the famed Medici family, and later, after World War II, it was even used as a luxury hotel. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amazingshots_castle (@amazingshots_castle) on Jun 27, 2020 at 5:11am PDT Sammezzano Castle has been closed and effectively abandoned since the 1990s. Gbadolite – Nsele, Democratic Republic of the Congo Gbadolite, once a small village, was turned into the “Versailles of the Jungle” by former journalist Mobutu Sese Seko, who seized power in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1965, renamed the country Zaire, and established himself as the president. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @saffary21 on Aug 8, 2020 at 5:14pm PDT The estate included a nightclub, a hotel and an international airport in addition to Mobutu‘s private residence. After a military overthrow, he abandoned the palace and fled to Morocco in 1997. He died three months later of prostate cancer. The derelict palace is reportedly now tended to by Mobutu‘s former supporters and their families. Peek inside Mukesh Ambani’s home: where 2 helipads aren’t enough Bodiam Castle – Sussex, UK Bodiam Castle was built in 1385 by a knight of Edward III who planned to use it as a fortified family manor. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Love Great Britain (@lovegreatbritain) on Jun 6, 2020 at 2:00am PDT After that family line died out, the castle changed hands several times until it eventually was left abandoned in the 17th century. Restoration work did not take off until 1925. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ️Tina B ️ (@tblewden) on Aug 26, 2020 at 1:14am PDT Today, it is a tourist attraction complete with a gift shop. Jal Mahal – Jaipur, India Jal Mahal is a “floating” palace in the middle of a man-made lake in Jaipur, India. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Culture of Hindusthan (@the_culture_of_hindustan) on Aug 26, 2020 at 7:15pm PDT In reality, four levels of the building are submerged underwater. It was originally built in the 16th century as a hunting lodge for local royals. Droughts, dams, and the expansion of the lake all contributed to the palace‘s eventual sinking a century after it was built. View this post on Instagram A post shared by INDIA (@india_01947) on Aug 26, 2020 at 10:57pm PDT Today, there are rumours of plans to convert the sunken palatial ruins into a restaurant. Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter . This article originally appeared in Business Insider .