15 Most Remote Buildings in the World

buildings standing in solitude on the edges of the earth in the most distant places many people don't know these buildings exist it's hard to believe they do here are the top 15 most remote buildings in the world number 15 svalbard global seed vault the svalbard global seed vault opened in sweden in 2008 and is specifically designed to store and protect seed samples for future generations it serves as a backup for the other 750 seed banks in the world and in theory can preserve each specimen for at least a thousand years no matter the effects of global warming or political actions each seed is kept in a three-ply foil package at a constant temperature of minus 0.4 degrees fahrenheit and to make this as efficient as possible the vault itself is in an extremely remote region of the island of spitzbergen which is in the arctic svalbard archipelago temperatures there rarely rise above freezing and it's so difficult to reach that only authorized personnel have any way of getting there the vault was designed to be able to store over 4 million samples in these conditions and currently just a quarter of the capacity has been used up eventually they hope to have seeds from every known plant species on earth kept in storage there and it may become an invaluable resource should these plants for any reason become extinct in the wild the building essentially works in the same way as a safety deposit vault in a bank whereby the owners of the seeds are the organizations that send them to svalbard to be stored there have only been two instances so far when a withdrawal has actually occurred however the intent is normally for them to be kept there for at least several decades number 14 paranal observatory hotel if the paranal observatory and hotels seem familiar that's probably because you've seen them in the james bond movie quantum of solus rather than being the secret base of an evil regime it's actually the location of one of the most remote astronomical observatories in the world it's so far in the middle of nowhere in the atacama desert of chile that a purpose-built hotel was required to accommodate all of those working in the observatory with the nearest permanent community being the small town of proposal with a population of 259 people which is 24 miles to the south operated by the european southern observatory paranal is the second largest optical infrared observatory in the world it houses five separate telescope arrays and has one of the clearest views of the universe from the earth thanks to the lack of light pollution in the desert and the thin atmosphere because of the altitude of 8645 feet the hotel which was in the bond movie was built to provide respite from harsh conditions there's an artificial oasis 108 rooms a swimming pool and a sauna and the entire structure was built into a naturally occurring depression in the ground from bricks that are of the same color of the surroundings to cause as little environmental impact as possible unfortunately this isn't a hotel that's open for public reservations so if you ever want the chance to stay there you'll need to be employed by the observatory number thirteen ton between 1044 and 1287 the kings of burma dedicated serious resources to the construction of countless pagodas and temples throughout the country that's now known as myanmar and while the vast majority of them have been since destroyed there's one that still stands called tong kalat it's a buddhist monastery in the temple complex in the mandalay region of the country and is unique in the fact that it was built on the summit of a 737-foot tall volcanic plug that was formed by the nearby mount popa volcano it could be seen for miles around and offers stunning views over the surrounding countryside but while the structure is a popular tourist destination it's not exactly easy to reach the temple itself is believed in the local religion to be the home of the 37 spirits of myanmar to gain access to the top visitors have to climb 777 steps which were famously once maintained by a hermit who lived on the mountain and serves as the final test before reaching the spiritual summit it's a place that's not only visited by tourists but by thousands of pilgrims each year and is regarded by many as one of the jewels that have survived from myanmar's rich history number twelve resort not all remote buildings have fallen into a state of disrepair if you're looking to vacation as far away from civilization as possible you can't do much better than the laulau resort in argentina it's in the province of rio negro in the foothills of the andes mountains on a hill that's between the moreno lake and the nahuel huapi lakes it first opened in 1940 as a place to offer rich patrons a chance to relax in the wilderness but the original structure which was made entirely from wood burned down just a few years later it was redesigned and rebuilt from concrete and stone and has undergone a series of renovations since then each of the 169 rooms have stunning views across the surrounding lakes or mountains and there's no shortage of things to do with a private golf course and easy access to hiking trails and sports on the slopes it's still to this day often voted as one of the best resorts in the argentine hinterland both because of the facilities it has on offer and because of its remote location where you could almost believe you're the only human for hundreds of miles around number 11. tash rabat the silk road was a vast network of various trade routes that connected east and southeast asia with south asia the arabian peninsula africa and europe and became a vital lifeline for the regions from as early as the second century of course travel through these routes could be harsh and dangerous at times and took far longer than journeys do today so a network of inns and places to stop over was developed to give weary travelers somewhere to stay at the end of each day some of these were purposefully built some were converted from other uses but the most famous and remote of them that still stands today is called tashrabat the structure which is made from stone is thought to have originally been constructed in the 10th century as a monastery but soon after had been turned into a caravan sarai which catered to the traders passing by it's in an extremely remote mountainous region of kyrgyzstan and would have been such a welcome sight for those traversing the region it's on a route that's just after the dangerous torugart mountain pass and anyone who had successfully managed to cross it would have been in much need of a break before continuing on with their journey compared to modern standards tashrabat has very little to offer guests with just 31 rooms arranged around the dome central hall there's just enough room to sleep under the shelter of the roof but guests would have been expected to provide their own food water and any other supplies they needed number 10 chest pavilion mount wah located in the shenshi province of china close to the city of huayin mao hua is one of the five great mountains of china that have long had religious significance to the people that live there as such it's a popular destination for visitors and pilgrims and has a number of monasteries temples and other religious structures on its slopes the mountain actually has five main peaks the highest of which is seven thousand feet above sea level and was historically a place where hermits and those who wanted space to worship would go because it was so difficult to access one of the peaks has a temple at the top and the only way to reach it was via a treacherous mountain trek and even though paths have been established since the 1980s it's still seen as one of the most dangerous mountain climbs in the world this doesn't stop thousands of people taking on the challenge each year though many locals will climb it in the dark of night to reach one of the peaks by the time the sun rises one of the more unusual and isolated structures on the mountain though is a traditional chinese chess pavilion designed to be the most peaceful and uninterrupted place to play the game in the world several grand masters have made the trek to have the honor of playing there which is no mean feat considering it's on the most difficult to reach peak of the mountain number 9 casa do penero buildings can be constructed from a wide range of different materials but there's perhaps nothing as simple as putting a few large boulders together and calling it a home that's exactly the method the original owner of the casa do pinedo used he arranged just four large boulders together to form the foundations the walls and the ceilings of the house built in the hilly and mountainous landscape between fafe and calerico de basto in northern portugal it was finished in 1974 and became the owner's family vacation home with a name that means house of rock the casa dopenero has no electricity despite being near to a wind farm and very few of the comforts that most people are accustomed to it's probably for this reason that the family stopped using it as a home and now acts as an architectural monument and museum because it's such a peculiar structure to see it's become a popular tourist destination in recent years and those that manage to make it all the way to the front door are welcome to go inside to see the collection of objects and photographs from the building's history we are constantly adding more people to the top fives production team to bring you all the best content be sure to subscribe with notifications on and hit the like button number eight solve a hut the 14 692 foot tall peak of the matterhorn is one of the highest in the alps and europe and has long been a target for mountaineers it was first successfully scaled in 1865 and soon became popular because of its challenging routes as an increasing number of people began to take it on structures were built along the way to provide shelter and respite to them many of which still remain to this day one of them the most precarious and remote is called the solvay hut which is on the northeastern ridge of the mountain at an altitude of 13 133 feet built in 1917 it's the highest hut that's owned by the swiss alpine club and has 10 beds and an emergency telephone just getting the materials there to build it was a massive effort which involved the construction of a temporary cable from another hut to help lift the heavy planks into place it's not however planned as a standard stop-off for climbers and is only used in cases of emergency when weather conditions give people no option but to seek out shelter despite being more than a hundred years old and climbing equipment being far more advanced than it was back then the solvay hut continues to save the lives of mountaineers who get caught out by the mountain's conditions and is arguably one of the most important structures on the matterhorn number seven bishop rock lighthouse before the days of gps navigation and detailed nautical charts sailors had to rely on basic maps and observations to choose the best routes around coastlines this often led to tragic accidents when their ships ran aground on virtually invisible rocky outcrops beneath the water surface to combat this lighthouses were built to warn them to stay clear especially when it was dark the most remote and unusual one of them all is known as the bishop rock lighthouse it's on a small island that's part of the isles of celie which is an archipelago off the southwest coast of england originally built in 1858 it was designed to protect ships traveling along the north atlantic shipping route which was at least during the 19th and 20th centuries the preferred one for transatlantic crossings at 161 feet high it's the tallest of the lighthouses in the uk but also holds another record bishop's rock is the smallest island in the world with a structure on it and the lighthouse takes up so much of the land that there's no room to walk around it instead access is gained by a helipad and before that was built had to rappel from the top directly into a boat waiting in the water below number six okoy kojo station the invention of railways changed transportation forever by giving passengers and freight owners a way to travel vast distances much faster all the tracks of the worldwide railways certainly travel through remote regions stations are only ever built where the trains need to stop or that's usually the case there is one station in kawenahan japan which is in such a remote location that on a busy day only 16 people will use it it was first opened in 1990 and the reason why it was built there is because the rail line had to be rerouted to avoid the lake that was being formed by the newly built nagashima dam the station was used by construction workers for the dam and leads to a bridge that looks out over the reservoir but once building works were complete hardly anyone needs to make the trip there anymore now the only people who use this station are the few people who live in the surrounding area but even they rely more on the road network than the infrequent trains that pass by this is one of the most remote and underused stations you'll find anywhere in the world and it's a testament to the provision of the japanese rail network that they felt it necessary to keep it open number five catski pillar located in western georgia near the village of katsuki is a large naturally formed limestone outcrop that's known as the catski pillar it's 130 feet high and offers amazing views across the river valley that surrounds it but this isn't a place that typically welcomes tourists because at its peak there's been a monastery in a church since at least the 9th century the only way of reaching the top used to be by using an iron ladder but even this now has been deemed to be too unsafe and a temporary rope ladder is now used instead the complex at the top includes a church that's dedicated to maximus the confessor a burial vault a wine cellar and three hermit cells as well as the remains of several other churches that used to stand there in recent years only one person has lived on the catski pillar who spent his time restoring the ancient structures and worshipping he only comes down twice a week to get supplies and otherwise spends all of his time isolated from the rest of the world in one of the most secluded and remote buildings on the planet number four sphinx observatory named after the summit on which it is located the sphinx observatory is one of the highest astronomical observatories anywhere in the world sat at a height of eleven thousand seven hundred and sixteen feet it's above the in switzerland which is a ridge that connects several mountains of the alps inside the building there are two laboratories that are used for high altitude research as well as a workshop two terraces and of course the main telescope due to its unique position the observatory is integral in several long-term experiments and has played an important role in watching the skies of europe since it first opened in 1937 as well as being a focal point of research the observatory is also open to tourists who have ventured up into the mountains on the swiss railway the nearest stop is the jungfrau yak station which is the highest station in europe and from there you can board an elevator that takes you directly up into the observatory the viewing decks around the structure offer astounding views of the alps and from there you can see some of the highest peaks including the iger the monk and the jungfrau number three eleday island the desire to live in remote places away from cities has only seemed to be more common in recent years but how secluded would you want to be if you had the chance there's one house on an island in iceland that's so far away from civilization that has been the subject of a number of theories about its occupants and still it's not clear if anyone actually lives there the island itself is called eleday and is an 11 acre piece of land that's on the northeastern most end of the westmin islands archipelago photos taken of the island show quite clearly that there's a white house on one of the slopes with no sign of any human activity at all officially the island has a population of zero and probably was used continually throughout history as somewhere hunters would set up baseball catching fish and seals local legend speaks of five families that lived in the house for over 300 years and sustained themselves on sea fowl and cattle but were forced to leave in the 1930s as the remoteness made it impossible for them to live modern lives rumors remain that people still live there though with some even suggesting that there may be an underground complex beneath the building it was also the idea that was actually owned by icelandic singer bjork who had been given it as a gift by the government but all these myths are nothing more than pure fiction in reality the house is owned by a local hunting association and can be used by their members to live in while on the island during hunting season they can easily get there by boat from the mainland and use a zipline to get to the cabin itself it doesn't however have any electricity or running water so they don't tend to stay there for too long at a time number two matera greece is a place steeped in history and has been home to advanced civilizations for thousands of years to the center of the country is a series of natural rock formations known as the matera and on top of them is a large complex of eastern orthodox monasteries which have been there since at least the 11th century the region though has been an important one to human communities for far longer than that and evidence has been found of human activity in the surrounding caves from at least 50 000 years ago during the 16th century there were as many as 24 monasteries at matera but most have since fallen into a state of disrepair and only six are still in use they were all purposefully built in remote inaccessible places to allow monks and nuns who lived in them to pray in peace and solitude and completely devote their lives to their religion they have therefore been used to store treasures and historical artifacts and during the second world war the site was bombed and many of these were stolen across the six that remain there's a permanent population of around 15 monks and 41 nuns and the only way to get to them is by a network of staircases and paths that have been directly carved into the rock number one halle 6 research station due to its freezing temperatures and distance from other land masses on earth there are very few structures in antarctica in the first place let alone ones that are actively used by people several countries have outposts on the continent but possibly the most remote of them all is a british research station called halley six and as the name would suggest this is actually the sixth iteration of the station after the first was built on the brunt ice shelf in 1956 it's from there that precise measurements are made of the earth's atmosphere and was where the hole in the ozone layer was first identified in 1985. as it's located on a moving ice sheet halley 6 has been designed to be able to move its position to ensure it remains in a safe location opened in 2013 it's made up of eight modules that are lifted up on hydraulic legs to keep them clear of the accumulation of snow and have retractable skis that are used to pull it along the ice when needed this has proved to be especially useful in recent years because as a result of global warming the ice shelf has begun to show heightened levels of instability in 2017 a large crack was discovered that runs through the ice and if it were to break off would separate the research station from the main part of the shelf and it would result in it drifting off to sea now despite having been relocated the risk of further cracks has meant that halle 6 is only active during the summer months this is because during winter it would be virtually impossible to send any rescue attempts to the base as it's in such a remote place and it's simply too treacherous to try to travel there in anything but the calmest of weather watch our obscure playlist for more top 15 videos about the more obscure subjects in our world sit back relax and binge watch all of our best and most obscure videos

Channel: Top Fives

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Keywords: Most Remote Buildings in the World

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Length: 18min 53sec (1133 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 17 2020