Exploring the Rotten Side of Germany
You might say I'm a collector. I collect rare objects. Facts, stories...I travel the roads of Germany seeking its heart.
Featured Photo | July 26, 2020
“Oblivion has always been the most trustworthy guardian of classified files.”
(Lee Sandlin)
Galleries
GALLERY UPDATE: Railway Repair Factory H.
GALLERY UPDATE!!
Some of the large abandoned buildings that made up this huge railway repair factory have already been demolished, but the 10 interconnected factory halls that have been built by the "Deutsche Reichsbahn" since 1910 are still standing and are trying to defy time itself. The factory was specializing in the repair and maintenance of steam locomotives until it was closed by the "Deutsche Bahn" in 1996. It was given a new, socialist, name in the 1950 and changed its specialization to include mainly Diesel locomotives of the Type 100. At that time, more than 2.000...(more)
Porcelain Factory "Souvenir"
In a small town deep in the Thuringian Highlands, you can find an abandoned porcelain factory.
It was founded early in the 1890s and was renowned for the manufacture of fine porcelain.
The product portfolio included decorative porcelain, gifts, kitchen items, porcelain figures for the bath and figures of saints.
In the early 1970s, the company's name was changed to reflect a more socialist product line of consumer porcelain, but in 1976, the factory was integrated into a company for the manufacture of
company for the manufacture of porcelain figures.
According to documents that can be...(more)
Video
Iron Giants - The Gravel Pit
Blog
Tour Report: Hotel "Borderline"
Published 2020-07-26
Late in March of 2018, we undertook a short tour to Eastern Germany together with our friend Pixelcracker. It was a very spontaneous excursion, so there wasn't a lot of time for extensive planning, and we just took the locations that came our way, so to speak.
The first location that we visited was an abandoned hotel. The building used to be a garrison of the East German border troops (Grenztruppen), and it could easily be identified as such - most of these garrisons look identical.
The hotel was in one of four buildings that..(more)
Urbex News
Urbex-Related News [English/German]
Lost Place Kennedy-Brücke und Bahnstrecke: Nur die halbe Brücke steht unter Denkmalschutz
Fürstenberg/Wehrden (TKu). Die Bahnstrecke Holzminden-Scherfede war einst eine 49 Kilometer lange Hauptbahnstrecke, die von Holzminden nach Scherfede führte und damit die Bahnstrecke Altenbeken-Kreiensen mit der Oberen Ruhrtalbahn verband. Bis 1984 wurde diese Strecke als Hauptbahn betrieben. Auch hochwertige Reisezüge haben diese Strecke viele Jahre genutzt.
"Lost Place" in Bochum: Frau (22) stirbt nach dramatischer Rettungsaktion
Mit Motortrennschleifer, Bolzenschneider sowie einem Spreizgerät mussten Zäune und Stacheldrahtbahnen entfernt werden, um eine junge Frau von einem Brachgelände in der Nähe des Bochumer Westparks zu transportieren. Dort war die 22-Jährige in der Nacht zum Sonntag zusammengebrochen. An dem sogenannten Lost Place bestand für die Retter durch alte Schächte akute Einsturzgefahr.
Atlas Obscura - Latest Places
Nemuri-Neko (The Sleeping Cat) in Nikko, Japan (Sat, 08 Aug 2020)
Tōshōgū Shrine, the burial place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, is the most popular tourist attraction in Nikkō, Japan. It's famous for its elaborate
architecture, but also known for its carved details.
One of the most notable carvings is the Nemuri-neko, or the Sleeping Cat, at the entrance to the okumiya (rear shrine). The carving is attributed to Hidari Jingorō, a legendary
17th-century artist who may or may not have been a real person. Although it is less than 8 inches in size, the Nemuri-neko has a few notable features.
For one, cats are rarely depicted in reliefs in shrines and temples, while sacred animals such as the crane, turtle, tiger, dragon and phoenix are commonly found. This is one of the few cases in
which a cat is depicted in early Edo-period religious sculpture.
On the other side of the Sleeping Cat is a carving pair of sparrows, though cats are normally supposed to be predators to sparrows. This depiction is believed to symbolize peace, as sparrows can
live freely when cats are asleep. The cat being able to sleep without staying alert also means that its environment is safe and peaceful.
Some, however, believe that it’s not fully asleep. Legend has it that the cat's eyes are only half-closed. Its pose does suggest that it may be actually staying alert, so that unclean creatures
such as rats cannot enter the sacred place.
In June 2016, the Nemuri-neko was temporarily removed from the shrine to undergo restoration work. It returned to its original place five months later, and to the visitors’ surprise, its eyes
were visibly half-closed, almost confirming the legend. As it later turned out, it was because of accidental mispainting during its restoration. Immediately after the story of its half-open eyes
became public, the Sleeping Cat was repainted so that its eyes are shut once more.
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