Back to the brewery

I'm working on a design project right now and while researching "found materials" I revisited the abandoned brewery that I found here. Amazing place that needs much more time to explore.

I managed to find a room with some kind of brewing vat.

beer, joyous beer...

Triple glazing!

A different location but also showing some signs of use.

All for now
Andy

Abandoned Beelitz Hospital

  Beelitz Heilstätten hospital was built between 1898 and 1902 so it has some of that old world attention to detail and craftsmanship in the architecture. The buildings are in bad shape but there's still beauty to see. It's had a long history with the likes of Hitler and Eric Honecker staying as patients but its been rather quiet for the last few years. After WWII, the Russians took it over and it became the largest Soviet Military hospital outside of the USSR.

  So now this vast collection of buildings is silent and eerie. It's been the location for US films like "The Pianist" and "Valkyrie". When we were there we bumped into a film crew shooting a new video for Rammstein. The shots being filmed were in a very large room full of beds with lamps next to each. I think the video may have a WWI style about it. So if you're a fan, look for it soon assuming the guy we spoke with was legit.

  Most of the buildings are sealed up but it is possible to get inside if you're lucky to find an open window. There are surgical lights and beds somewhere in one of the buildings but I haven't found that yet.

This building was fire bombed in WWII so that forest roof has had about 70 years to grow.

What it lacks in privacy it makes up for in the view.

The furnace house from down in the coal pit.

The boilers haven't seen much heat recently.

So how many years ago did those bricks crack in half and just how rusted is that beam...

Some hints of the past or the last urban explorer.

Clearly some floors are failing...

Ghostly inhabitant.

  An amazing and beautiful place well worth a visit. There are plans to renovate this place and one building has been done. I hope they leave it alone as a memorial to the past. More photo's on the Flickr page here:
www.flickr.com/photos/nouveauvoyages/sets/72157624957459080/
More info on the history here (in German):
www.beelitzer-heilstaetten.de/

Cheers
Andy

Amazing awesomeness at Heilstatte Grabowsee Part 2

I had to go back to this awesome place and did a few weeks later in October. The first trip was amazing but we didn't have time to see anything other than one building. This time we got there with more time to spare and it was great. STILL haven't seen it all, so stay tuned for part 3 :)

Nature taking it back step by step

Amazing sights like this are abundant here.  However when you're on the 2nd floor you have to wonder what it is you're standing on. And do you go up to the 3rd...?

We did and found this guy in the middle of the hallway.

Staircases like these seemed like the most secure places, even without the railings.

Left over from a music video. A great location for a horror film shoot or a sequel to The Shinning. This room was saying REDRUM!

The video is for Brandt Brauer Frick, here. I wonder if they went to the 3rd floor?
More photo's of this place and my other explorations on the Flickr site.

Tschüss.
Andy

Day trip to Leipzig

  I went on a day trip to Leipzig with a group of photograph buff's recently. We got there about 12 and wandered around, found a good example of Art Nouveau architecture with a very obvious Japanese influence:

 

Nearby is a gallery mall from about 1900 called Specks Hof

Unfortunately I didn't have much time to check this out and it looks like most of the classic details have been removed. This ceiling section was an exception.

Nikolaikirke with great columns.

The most impressive site is the memorial to Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig, Volkerschlachtdenkmal. It is huge...

I walked from the old city centre and you definitely see it from a long way off.

See the people?

Rather humbling sense of scale and loss when you think of all who died to make this necessary.

With all this stone it feels like the Mines of Moria and here's Gimli.

Walking into the interior crypt of this massive monument felt a bit like a set from an Indiana Jones film or perhaps Dune.

No matter where you go in Europe, somethings always being cleaned.

I expected Salah to poke his head out and quip about the tomb full of "asp's"

If you are only slightly claustrophobic, DON'T climb the spiral staircase.

Great doors in this place.

Almost at the top

  Once at the very top you can't see any of the monument just a great view of the city, a nearby castle and Nuclear power station belching out steam. I forgot to stretch out and hang the camera over the edge to see if I could see these great figures from the top down. Next time.

Andy