Urban Exploration - F.A.Q.

Here I put together a couple of questions people have asked since I have seriously taken up the hobby of urban exploration. If you have a question that is not on this list, please use the contact form here.

Urban Exploration is the exploration of man-made buildings and facilities. This includes old castles and mansions as well as industrial ruins, but also sewers, rooftops, catacombs or sometimes even inaccessible areas of operational buildings. The term "urban exploration" is furthermore used for the visit of publicly accessible areas or institutions such as cemeteries or technical museums.

Different photographers have different interpretations of the term "Lost Place". To me, a lost place is a place that has been left, forgotten and whose future lies in the dark.

Some places can be legally visited, and some are even official tourist attractions. This website is primarily about truly "lost" places that sometimes seem to have been abandoned even by time, but you can also find photos from "official" visits here.

Vandalism, theft and mass tourism.

These things are on the rise for the past couple of years. The growing popularity of the hobby itself, the rising number of websites that discuss the topic, and the growing interest of the media have led to a growing awareness concerning the locations. And that goes for the "normal" explorer as well as the copper thief and the partying teenagers.

Especially the incline of so-called "youtubers" has given way for an entirely new class of "visitors" to the location: Teenagers and young adults that stop at nothing to get attention for their social media channels and invent fake stories of horror and suspense, use spectacular titles as clickbait, redecorate the place and sometimes even destroy it so no one can get the same pictures they did.

To keep the locations and their often remarkable history intact for as long as possible, the locations have been concealed to a certain point.

Same thing as above - to keep vandals, copper thieves and tourists away from the locations.

Of course, the history of the places is an integral part of the appeal of these places, so there is always some information where I could manage to gather it - more for some locations, less for others.

Absolutely not. But if you have a great idea for a project to be realized in a location, feel free to contact me and convince me otherwise.

Oftentimes people underestimate the dangers and risks that come with exploring old factories, underground facilities, derelict mansions etc.

Through the sometimes massive decay, floor boards or wooden stairs bend and break, walls become brittle and ceilings are falling down. Toxic gases can accumulate in basements or caverns, broken boards, broken glass and rusty nails are frequently lying around. A fellow explorer found drums of highly toxic Cyanide inside an abandoned chemical factory.

As you can see, there are plenty of risks and dangers. This is why a thorough research (if possible), careful planning and the appropriate equipment are very important companions on every excursion.

Time, persistence and luck are my key allies in this endeavor.

It starts with research over the internet, newspaper articles or local archives and includes establishing personal contact with other explorers, archivists, contemporary witnesses or even people working for the local administration in some way.

Also, just keeping your eyes open while you're away from home helps a lot.