There are many places in the world that are so breathtakingly beautiful, they attract millions of visitors every year. Some destinations fill you with a sense of peace and tranquility, others draw you in with their incredible architecture. There are those where the wonders of nature speak to your soul. And vibrant cities where the energy makes you feel more alive than ever before. It’s no surprise that Instagram is filled with #travel photographs. People save for months to be able to tick off their bucket list destinations, while others live vicariously through them by taking in the sights and sounds via beautiful IG reels.

But not every place on earth is Insta-worthy. There are some that might suck the life right out of you with their overcrowded, dreary, polluted and downright ugly appearance. Many of them can be found on a subreddit called Urban Hell. It has more than 1.5 million members who gather to share photographs of “all the hideous places human beings built or inhabit.” As the page states, it showcases “the darker side of the cities, towns, and villages in our shared world.” Bored Panda has put together a list of the most hellish posts from the page. Keep scrolling and don't forget to upvote the ones that stand out for you. 

#1

Diamond Mine In Mirny

Aerial view of urban hell with a massive pit beside colorful buildings, illustrating surreal urban landscapes.

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Hippopotamuses
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is something really sinister about seeing this hole so close to a town.

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    #3

    Hong Kong

    Dense urban landscape with towering buildings and a narrow alley filled with parked cars, depicting urban hell.

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    Toothless Feline
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Spouse has traveled to Hong Kong several times for work. She described it as "the helliest of urban hellscapes". There's nice stuff there, but the vertical urban sprawl is so depressing.

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    #5

    A Man Takes Bath As The Water Leaks From A Pipeline On A Smoggy Morning In New Delhi, India

    Urban hell scene with a person showering beneath a large pipeline amidst trash and decay.

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    #6

    Destroyed Apartment Blocks Of Bakhmut After Its Capture By Russian Forces

    Aerial view of urban hellscape with damaged buildings and smoke rising.

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    #7

    Bishkek, The Capital Of Kyrgyzstan, Is The City With The Worst Air Quality In The World

    A cityscape shrouded in heavy smog, creating an urban hell-like environment.

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    reuben kift
    Community Member
    1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    For a second, I couldn't even see the city. I was like: "What cit-ohh."

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    #8

    A Shocking Amount Of Filth Behind An Apartment Block In Marseille, France ( Parc Kalliste)

    Urban hell scene with trash scattered outside a deteriorating apartment building.

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    #9

    Homelessness Problem In The Big Canadian Cities

    Urban landscape filled with clutter and debris, showcasing an intense scene of urban hell.

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    Sean Sean
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is happening all over the USA. Also, roughly 53% of homeless people in the USA have jobs, they just can't afford housing anymore and there isn't enough low-income housing for everyone that needs it. This is what lack of regulations in the rental housing market gets you.

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    #10

    Another Newly Built Chinese Village

    Dense housing in an urban area, showcasing repetitive rows of identical houses under clear skies.

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    #12

    Block 17 Norilsk, Russia

    Urban hell: bleak scene of Soviet-style apartment blocks shrouded in fog, capturing an eerie and desolate atmosphere.

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    #13

    Pyongyang, North Korea Before Dawn

    Urban hellscape with dim lighting highlighting a building's wall, shrouded in darkness.

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    Hippopotamuses
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Isn't that typical. The pictures of Tweedle Dee, and Tweedle Dum are the only things lit up.

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    #14

    Nairobi, Kenya

    Train navigating through crowded slum area, depicting urban hell reality.

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    Jeff Hunt
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Thomas wasn’t sure where he was, but he knew that m**h is a helluva d**g.

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    #15

    Abandon Apartment Buildings In Tehran Iran

    Dense high-rise buildings in a barren, mountainous urban hell landscape.

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    Bi.Felicia
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The image shows the Mehr Housing Project in Pardis, Iran, an initiative to provide affordable housing. Key facts: Launched in 2007 to construct 2 million housing units for low-income families. Offered free government land to developers and 99-year mortgages to homeowners. According to the 2016 census, there are over 70,000 residents living in the buildings.

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    #16

    1970s Houston Downtown With Mostly Parking Spaces

    Aerial view of dense urban cityscape with tall buildings and packed streets, depicting urban hell environment.

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    #17

    Kampala, Uganda

    Urban hell scene with heavy traffic and crowded streets under a clear sky.

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    Crikey! (ho/hum)
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Looks as though they only have the one vehicle dealership over there.

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    #18

    A Building In Singapore

    Yellow urban building with numerous air conditioning units, depicting urban hell architecture.

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    Pang Kok
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That is not as bad as it looks, the apartments are actually quite big in size

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    #19

    Smog In Gurugram, India

    Tall urban buildings emerging from thick fog under a pink sky, creating a surreal urban hellscape.

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    Hippopotamuses
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Imagine choosing an apartment based on how far it is above the smog level.

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    #20

    Sphinx Looking At Egypt Ubranhell, This Is What He Sees All Day. Giza, Egypt

    Aerial view of an urban landscape blending into an ancient site, showcasing an urban hell contrast.

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    Joanne Earle
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's wretched. And all the pics make the sphinx and pyramids look like they are out there in the desert, and Cairo is literally right there.

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    #21

    Greymouth, UK

    Urban hell: rundown concrete buildings with weathered façades and overcast skies.

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    Pyla
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Brutalism or “ah, the things we can do with cement!”

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    #22

    The View From My Friend's House In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

    Industrial smokestacks in an urban area emitting pollution, exemplifying urban hell scenery.

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    Wharfrat
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    After the earlier pic of the same place, the sky looks nice and clear at least.

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    #23

    Quebec City Destroyed Centenary Victorian Houses To Build This Monstrosity

    Brutalist urban architecture in winter, showcasing stark concrete design and leafless trees under a cloudy sky.

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    #25

    Dubai

    Aerial view of extraordinary urban development resembling a palm and world map in the sea.

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    KDS
    Community Member
    1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I thought that was bacteria in a petri dish.

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    #26

    Soviet Scientific Institutions

    Futuristic urban architecture with complex metal structures and grids.

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    #27

    Beach Day In Mumbai ☀️⛱️

    Urban hellscape showing a polluted shoreline with litter, an old building, and a distant city skyline.

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    336
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    that flag being flown looks suspiciously like a Pakistan flag 🇵🇰

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    #28

    Tokyo. Endless City

    Overcast aerial view of an expansive urban landscape showcasing dense city infrastructure.

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    #29

    A Photo Of Hashima Island, Japan

    Abandoned urban structure on an island, reflecting 'urban hell' with its eerie, dilapidated buildings against a blue sky.

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    Pyla
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Korean Movie Battleship Island is set there. Japan used Koreans as labor. The Japanese are still whitewashing their history.

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    #31

    Business District In Egypt's New Administrative Capitol From Plane View

    Aerial view of urban hellscape with dense skyscrapers casting long shadows over a barren landscape.

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    #32

    Playground In Łódź, Poland

    Urban hell: Desolate playground with yellow tiles, surrounded by old brick and concrete walls, featuring a lone bench.

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    #33

    Some Views I Took Of Cairo Driving Around

    Urban Hell: Deteriorating high-rise buildings under cloudy skies, with a parked car and graffiti-decorated wall in foreground.

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    #35

    Hong Kong

    Urban hell scene with towering overpass and narrow winding street.

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    #36

    Detroit

    Aerial view of dense urban landscape showcasing 'urban hell' with endless rows of houses.

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    Rick Murray
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's one hell of a hill those homes are built on. Riding a bike there wouldn't be fun, either way. 😉

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    #39

    Life In Burundi,the Poorest Country In The World

    Urban hell scene with a group of people near flooded streets, surrounded by makeshift homes under a colorful umbrella.

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    Bi.Felicia
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    From Google: Burundi's poverty is a result of a complex mix of factors, including decades of political instability and conflict, a rapidly growing population, a landlocked geography with limited resources, and reliance on a fragile agricultural sector. Burundi has experienced near-constant violence since gaining independence from Belgium in 1962, with cycles of civil war and ethnic tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi groups. This has led to widespread displacement, economic disruption, and a breakdown of institutions. Burundi has one of the highest birth rates in the world, with a rapidly growing population straining the country's resources and infrastructure. Burundi is a small, landlocked country with a hilly landscape, making it difficult to produce enough food for its population. The country also lacks significant natural resources or minerals. The majority of Burundians rely on subsistence farming, making them vulnerable to climate change, droughts, and other economic shocks.

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    #40

    San Diego River Homeless Encampment

    Aerial view of urban hell with tents and debris under a highway overpass, illustrating harsh city living conditions.

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    Joanne Earle
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Lots of encampments along the Mississippi in St. Louis too. Some quite elaborate with all the driftwood that's been gathered and built into huts.

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    #41

    This Building In Milan

    Unusual architecture of an urban building on stilts, conveying an urban hell aesthetic.

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    Hippopotamuses
    Community Member
    1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Torre Velasca, Milan. Apparently it was designed to echo the Lombardi tradition of building fortress towers with narrower lower stories.

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    #43

    New York, Bronx In The 1970's

    Urban hell scene with a solitary brownstone amid barren lots and surrounding high-rises.

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    #44

    Los Angeles Is A Wasted Opportunity

    Aerial view of an urban hell with sprawling highways and dense buildings under a cloudy sky.

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    #47

    Equality In Face, But In Reality: Poverty Kills Dignity In Hong Kong

    Two individuals in cramped urban living spaces, one lying above and the other sitting below with a light. Urban hell depiction.

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    Tropical Tarot
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm not quite sure what the picture is but I have seen a documentary about Hong Kong. And this married couple and their one child lived in a subdivided apartment and their part was about 2 meter squared or a king size bed.

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    #48

    Gary, Indiana

    Abandoned urban hellscape featuring a decaying Gothic structure with graffiti and overgrown vegetation.

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    #49

    I Live In Brazil And People Here Often Say That Brazil "Is Just Like The Us, But It's Poor And Tropical". I Don't Think They're Completely Wrong

    Aerial view of dense urban housing, showcasing uniform streets and identical homes, a depiction of urban hell.

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    JoNo
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I always read Us as "us" and the sentence doesn't make sense. It should be US, Bored Panda.

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    #50

    Bucharest In 1994, After The 45 Years Long Golden Age Of Central Planning

    Urban hell scene with decaying high-rise buildings and a desolate street at sunset.

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    Note: this post originally had 80 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.