#UrbanExploration

[wandering-jana]

Matera, Italy is famous for the Sassi, small homes built into the rock that supports the city. The residents shared the space with their farm animals. They were lived in until the 1950s.

March 3, 2024

[urbanrelics]

HAUT FOURNEAU 4

I adore visiting blast furnaces. They are the most spectacular sights I've ever got to witness. The intricacy of the engineering is quite simply astonishing. This particular specimen in Belgium, which has been under close surveilance since it was shut down in 2008, has been preserved in a remarkably good condition. Almost immediately after the closure, an interest group was established that wanted to preserve the blast furnace as an industrial landmark.

This blast furnace company, which is a defining feature of the city of Charleroi, was founded in 1836, during the heyday of the European steel industry. Like all other steel companies in the region, this blast furnace was also the subject of numerous takeovers and mergers. These mainly took place in the 1960s and 70s. It always remained a flourishing company, competitive on a global scale. However, the takeover by the Duferco group in 2001 heralded the beginning of the end…

The site was then operated under the name Carsid. After a fire in 2007, the furnace was temporarily shut down to carry out the necessary repairs. At the same time, capacity was increased and a number of environmental investments were made. The installation would now be operational for another ten years. Barely a year later, the blast furnace was shut down again, due to “poor prospects”. Due to the economic crisis and the declining demand for steel, the operation of the blast furnace company was no longer deemed profitable.

A “temporary” closure and the search for a buyer should bring relief. After more than three years of uncertainty and economic unemployment, the curtain finally fell for the blast furnace. Since HF4 is one of the best preserved blast furnaces in Europe, the Walloon government is striving to preserve the furnace as industrial heritage. Although a ministerial decree has been published to this effect, the demolition work on the site is progressing steadily…

Unfortunately Charleroi is one of the poorest cities in Belgium. There is no budget for the necessary sanitation and preservation works, which would run in the millions of euros. The futures is looking bleak for this beautiful piece of industrial heritage...

[wandering-italy]

The Temple of Romulus in Rome's Imperial Forum. The temple survived because it was incorporated into a later Christian church.

[jaimeblancarte]

@jaimeblancarte Querétaro, 2023

[ilcontephotography]

Abandoned villa in Italy.

© Roberto Conte (2020)

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[chrisblau]

[wandering-cemeteries]

Olšany Cemetery

Prague, Czechia

Feb. 2024

[picsfromsiberiangirl]

One Gray Afternoon In One Post Soviet District.

[3rdview-blackandwhite]

Last train about to leave | Berlin Airport | 2024

[missedmilemarkers]

I love this neat tunnel with its ever-changing lights! Each time you pass through, the colors shift, giving it a dynamic, almost magical atmosphere. It’s such a cool detail that makes an ordinary walk a bit more special.

[mossycryptid7]

06/18/24

[wandering-jana]

The Ancient Roman gate of Susa, Italy.

[urbanrelics]

AQUAPARK

The first visit to this abandoned water tower, back in 2017, was a veritable test to my fear of heights. The ladder you see in the photo above, situated between the two large, rusty pipes, is about 70 meters (230 feet) above ground level. Below that ladder, there is... nothing. I can't say I have conquered my fear of heights entirely, but I did conquer this one!

In an industrial complex like this, where numerous machines are continuously running at full speed and where high temperatures are generated, it is of course essential to have a sufficiently large water supply, which is also under a guaranteed constant pressure. That is why most steel mills are equipped with their own water tower.

The iffy little ladder, that goes up about another 20 meters (65 feet) leads to the reservoir, which is what you see in the photo below.

Such a water tower is easily negelected, especially when there are so many other beautiful things to see on the site. Nevertheless, it is usually worth taking a look here too. One can often encounter unexpectedly nice photo opportunities. I really enjoyed the play of colors and lights here.

This specimen has survived the test of time relatively well, but the extensive decay is becoming increasingly apparent. The climb to the top is not entirely without risks. Rust and concrete rot have wreaked havoc on this water tower in recent years. So be careful if you do want to venture a visit into a place like this...

[wandering-italy]

Santa Maria sopra Minerva

Rome's only remaining Gothic church.

Feb. 2024

[the-gone-ton]

I made it to Century III, guys

[ilcontephotography]

Teatro Sociale, by Giovanni Battista Gorresio (1851), as it looks now. It lies abandoned since the 1970s, but according to some sources even before.

The roof was partially fallen due to heavy snow in 1978 and has been covered again in recent years. A few months ago a safe passage was installed, right in the wall in the background of this photo, to allow the vision of this extraordinarily beautiful space even to people not accustomed to classic urban exploration, I mean with the dust, the climbing, the escape from security and so on. I still prefer that way, though, but - hoping for a future full renovation - it's nice that more people can have a view of a modern ruin and to directly "touch" the effect of time on the structures.

Mondovì, Italy.

© Roberto Conte (2023)

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