Ajira.eu

A while back I caught word about an abandoned restaurant or bar that was themed like a haunted mansion. I teamed up with Fresia to check it out, and was amazed at how cool this place really is!

After we were done with the "horror cafe", we decided to check out another place nearby. Unfortunately, this location was nothing more than an empty carcass waiting for the roof to collapse; so we didn't make any photos there. As we were driving off again, Fresia suddenly noticed a tiny farm with broken windows. We stopped to take a peek and found a cute little farmhouse with some stables attached to it.

It was a fun day on the road; and the poor lightning conditions on both locations made a fun challenge. Can't wait to see more locations like these.

Another day, another bore... time to go explore! (Hey, that rhymes! ). This time Xariana and myself visited an abandoned farmhouse in the South-West of The Netherlands.

The house had a huge barn behind it where cattle and horses were kept. I was amazed at the amount of spider webs and how unscathed this place was. Usually abandoned houses are trashed by copper thieves and vandalizing youth quite fast, but this place was (relatively speaking) in pristine condition.

All over the house there were some sort of 3d marking stickers, that are probably used by demolition crews to indicate the weak spots of the building. Of course they could also be used by construction companies to indicate spots in the concrete that need extra work when they renovate the place.

We will go back to this place in a few months to see if it's been demolished or refurbished.

It was a boring day, and so Xariana and myself decided to go explore an abandoned monastery somewhere in the East of The Netherlands.

It was built in 1910 by German Jesuits who fled Germany as a consequence of the Kulturkampf. In 1937, the Jesuits handed the monastery over to a community of "white monks" that followed Charles Lavigerie, who later handed the monastery over to a group of Salesians of Don Bosco; who used the building as a seminary till 1971.

In 1974, the building was converted to a public art and exhibition center where amateur artists could explore, utilize and display their creativity. The center featured amongst others a planetarium and a large artificial cave system with an exhibition about evolution. The building was also used for various paranormal events and symposiums. In 1999, the building was abandoned.

In 2007, a company bought the monastery to convert it into a community center; a project that was started in 2009. The top floors of the building have been partially stripped, but the planetarium and cave-man exhibition are practically untouched.

Deep in the forests of Propsteierwald, Germany lays an abandoned camp of the Belgian Army. Since it is only a 10 minute drive from Daniel’s house, we decided to go check it out.

Next on our list was the abandoned train station of Montzen, Belgium. It still amazes me how little graffiti can be found on the place. One would assume that an open train station would attract many vandals and youths, but the place is relatively unharmed.

Personally I’d love to re-visit the sites when the weather has improved a bit. I’m sure that the buildings of Camp Astrid look even cooler with the forest in its full glory.

Driving to work on the highway can be a serious drag, everybody knows that. To reduce the boredom and save on the fuel consumption of my car, I always drive to work through the countryside. There's more stuff to see, and occasionally you notice something cool.

A few weeks ago I suddenly noticed a collapsed roof through the branches of the trees. Normally it would have been impossible to see, with all the leaves in the way; but now that most trees are bald, the roof was only just visible. My curiosity was triggered, and I decided to check it out today. What I found was a pair of abandoned and partially decayed cottages that were squeezed between the trees on the edge of the forest surrounding the Loonse & Drunense Duinen.

Unfortunately, I forgot my tripod in the car, so I will be going back again sometime in the near future to make some more pictures.

It was Saturday, the weather was kind of "meh", so it was time for some Urbexing. On this particular Saturday, Daniel and I visited the abandoned factory of the Royal United Leather complex in Oisterwijk, The Netherlands. The constant dripping of water on concrete gave a very soothing atmosphere; but the presence of some pigeons that were constantly making noises, and the barking of a dog nearby made it quite spooky as well.

Unfortunately, we couldn't visit the entire compound, because there is also a motorbike rental company that uses part of the building; and we didn't feel like getting arrested for burglary.

My B.F.F Daniel and I were actually planning on paying a visit to the abandoned coalmine of Hasard in the village of Cheratte, Belgium; but for some reason it didn't really happen. When we arrived in Cheratte, however, we noticed an abandoned and decaying office building just down the road. We decided to check that out instead of the Hassard complex.

Click here for the full album.

Getting in was easy, the factory next door had its gate open and we could just walk into the office building via the back entrance. While we were inside, we heard a car/truck driving really close. When we were ready to leave, we discovered that the gate was closed. Fortunately for us, they (people working at the factory, I presume) placed a huge concrete block in front of the gate. This was without doubt to prevent people from getting in, but it also made the climb over the fence a lot easier

Thanks dude!

After buying some fried fish, I decided to go for a little drive. After driving for a bit, I decided that it was time to go home; so I looked for the closest crossing of the Maas river and drove there. A few hundred meters from the ferry I suddenly noticed some donkeys standing in front of an old collapsed building. I decided to check it out.

The building turns out to be an old regional office of the national waterworks agency. Unfortunately the foliage was so dense that it wasn't possible to go inside. But the building was so small, that there probably was not much to be seen inside anyway.

Click here for the full album.

After patting the donkeys for a bit I continued my way home. After crossing the Maas river I also ran into a very nice gazebo, but since there were some people having a picknick in it, I didn't bother to make a photo of it.

While driving from the movie theatre in Lanaken, Belgium to a restaurant in Maastricht, The Netherlands; I happened to pass by the remains of an old factory right in the middle of the city. I've always liked ruins, and fortunately, I had my photo camera with me .

Click here for the full album.

I have absolutely no idea why this truck was covered in plastic, but there was a lot of garbage in the factory. My best guess is that it is being used by homeless people for shelter, or has been used for it in the past.