The Bohol earthquake hit the Philippines in 2013 and destroyed many of the country’s oldest churches, damaging countless others. The Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in the island province of Cebu, was heavily damaged until it finally collapsed. The church, founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, was the oldest Catholic Church in the Philippines.
The loss of these churches hit the country hard, due to the enormous impact Catholicism has had on Philippine culture. Most of the landmarks that symbolized that impact are now gone.
Norcia
On October 30th, 2016, the town of Norcia in Italy was hit by a 6.6 magnitude earthquake. The quake caused the destruction of the Basilica of Saint Benedict which had stood since the 12th century. Ironically, the church’s structural integrity had been inspected just the week before by the ministry of culture and repairs were planned. Sadly, the Cathedral of St. Mary Argentina which was famous for its 15th Century frescoes also collapsed.
The town’s other ancient remains including original Roman city walls, multiple churches and other historical buildings were also damaged by the earthquake. The quake devastated the small town and took away much of what had made it historically important and attractive to visitors.
The Sequoia Tunnel
The “Pioneer Cabin Tree”, a 1,000-year-old sequoia tree from Calaveras Big Trees State Park in California, was cut in the shape of a tunnel in the 19th century to encourage nature tourism. This enormous tree allowed people to get a real “drive-thru” experience until a storm toppled it in January 2017.
There are no more sequoia tunnel trees left, but there are three ancient California Redwoods trees which you can still drive through in Eureka, California.
Large Portions of the Great Wall
It is still possible to visit the Great Wall of China, a 5,000-mile-long series of fortifications that used to protect the country from invaders. Sadly, almost two thirds of it are no longer around. Some of the damage was caused by natural phenomena but vandalism and tourism are also to blame.
The Chinese government played its part by allowing parts of the wall to be demolished in order to clear the way for development projects. The wall will most likely continue to crumble if the country’s leadership do not put a plan and funds in place to protect it.
Disney’s Discovery Island
Discovery Island is yet another theme park at Disneyworld Florida which was abandoned and left in ruin. It was introduced in 1974 and stayed open until 1999. The theme of the park was wild animals and guests went there to observe and interact with many species of animals and birds.
Due to low attendance and profitability, the animals were moved to the Animal Kingdom and the park was shut down and abandoned.