part 6 - When Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary: A Typical Day as an Urban Explorer

                      Beautiful staircase in an otherwise empty, abandoned manor house.

In this blog and ongoing series, you can follow Abandoned Nordic's urbex road trip as we journey from Finland to France along an extended route. The trip will take about a month, and along the way, various things unfold. We are currently in Germany.

We've been on our journey for a week now, having left behind the Nordic countries, Sweden, and Denmark - many kilometers traveled but only a few locations visited. The worthwhile spots are so spread out that we can only reach one or two each day, even with all the driving. The next few days will be spent in Germany, where this part of our trip will follow our typical urbex pattern, exploring several locations each day.

On our list today, July 6th, are a church, a manor, a castle, and a bowling alley - all abandoned - a rather diverse selection. We're most excited about the DDR-era bowling alley, which we hope to reach by evening. With our flexible schedule, it should be doable.On some trips, we've visited up to ten locations in a single urbex day, but for this trip, we've intentionally scouted fewer spots to keep things more relaxed.

The morning is hot and sunny. The sun almost never appears in our pictures, or at least very rarely. This kind of weather isn’t ideal for outdoor photography. While we can’t control the weather, it’s hard not to feel disappointed knowing how much better the photos would be without the sun shining. Thankfully, with this trip’s flexible schedule, we’ve planned our route so that the most promising outdoor spots are visited in the morning or evening, when the light is more beautiful, even on clear days.

We park the car in a lot on the edge of a small village, where we expect to find an abandoned Catholic church, consecrated in 1893. It doesn’t take long to locate the church, perched on a small hill. The gate is open, and the overgrown, neglected churchyard looks perfect for exploration. We step through the gate.

The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary is a significant Catholic church with a rich history. Deconsecrated in 2020, this marked the end of its active religious service. According to the information I found online beforehand, the church will be auctioned in September 2024, with a starting price of 149,000 euros.

We rarely encounter other explorers on site, but inside the church, we find two people. We greet them, though they don’t speak English. Through our conversation in German, we learn that the church is scheduled for demolition soon. This could mean a buyer has already been found and plans are in place - or perhaps not. It's a typical case of conflicting information.

Catholic churches often have a unique horror aesthetic, and this one is particularly impressive inside. Everything is still intact: the altar, the pulpits, and the pews. Large cobwebs hang from the ceiling, adding to the eerie atmosphere. The text above the altar reads, 'Ich bin der Weg, die Wahrheit und das Leben' (I am the way, the truth, and the life). However, the church’s photographic value is significantly diminished by the large graffiti on the walls near the altar, which isn’t surprising given how easily accessible the church is.

Our journey continues as the day grows hotter. We’re heading to the next location for one reason only - a truly impressive staircase; otherwise, the manor is completely empty. After some deliberation, we manage to enter the manor grounds, located on the outskirts of a city near a busy road. After some searching, we find a secluded corner where we can climb over the fence unnoticed, timing our move during a gap in the traffic. Although we don’t find any open doors, we soon discover a small ground-level window leading to the basement that’s open. Sometimes basements connect to the main floors, sometimes they don’t. In these cases, one of us enters first to check if there’s access to the rest of the building and if it’s worth bringing in our gear. After climbing through the window, Kimmo returns after a while to confirm there’s access and that the staircase is indeed magnificent - perfect!

The staircase looks like something straight out of a good horror movie. Dark, wood-paneled walls, impressive arched windows letting light fall on the steps, a decorative balustrade, and an unusual glass bay window that opens onto the staircase from the upper floor. Dust and cobwebs hang everywhere, with crumbling plaster falling from the shell-themed ceiling. I'm enjoying the view!

On this very bright day, in a dim building with dark panels, the lighting conditions are challenging for photography. I need multiple exposures, but the results rarely meet my expectations in these situations. The strong greenish light filtering through the dusty windows reflects the wild vegetation outside, creating conflicting colors. I love editing photos, but I can already tell that working with this set won’t be fun - it’ll be a challenge, and I’ll probably be disappointed with the result. My 12-24mm Sigma Art lens struggles to capture the entire staircase, and I’m pressed against the wall with cobwebs clinging to my neck and face. This is often the reality, but on rare occasions, everything comes together like magic, and that’s what keeps us going.

Our journey continues as dark clouds gather in the afternoon sky, signaling an impending storm. We park in front of a large castle and step out of the car. It's clear something is happening here; a flag is flying, the castle doors are open, and a group of people is just entering. We ask one of the men outside if we can visit, but he tells us it’s a private event. Fair enough—we lose interest in the castle since it’s not abandoned at all. Still, needing to stretch our legs, we decide to explore the castle’s large, overgrown garden.

As we wander further, it suddenly starts pouring rain, forcing us to take shelter under a dense tree. The wind quickly intensifies, turning stormy, and the forest around us comes alive. Large branches begin crashing down from the trees, making it clear it’s time to leave. We dodge the falling branches as we run back to the car, managing to get inside, thoroughly soaked.

As day turns to evening, we approach our last and most anticipated location: the DDR bowling alley. Our excitement builds as we get closer, and we carefully study the map. The bowling alley is centrally located in a small village, which is good because a car driving around won’t attract much attention. However, it also means there might be pedestrians and other people nearby, and we don’t want to be seen. These high-expectation places are particularly nerve-wracking; we’re eager to explore but anxious about being chased away by a neighbor.

The coordinates on the map look strange - it’s practically a bush behind what seems to be a private residential building. It doesn’t look like a bowling alley at all, so we wonder if our spot has shifted (which sometimes happens accidentally when using Google Maps). However, when we check the coordinates in our database, it’s the same spot.

We drive up to the location and see only a private-looking residential building by the road, with our spot apparently behind it on the same property. Fortunately, there’s a public parking lot nearby, so we park there.

After confirming on both the map and visually that our only option is to enter the property, climb over the gate, and explore the yard of this private building to see if there’s anything back there, we move in to examine the gate more closely. It doesn’t look like it’s been opened in a while; there are no typical signs of habitation - maybe this building is abandoned too.

We're still unsure if we’re in the right place or even which of the nearby buildings might be the bowling alley. With no other options and no one in sight on the street, we quickly climb over the fence into the yard. We proceed cautiously - if someone lives in the building and they have a dog, that wouldn’t be good; we’re trespassing. Once we get behind the building, we’re still no wiser; we see the bush where the bowling alley should be, but there’s only a decaying low structure that doesn’t look promising.

We wade through the debris and overgrown vegetation to reach the low building, and I peer inside through a window. And there it is! Two narrow wooden bowling lanes, almost rotted away at one end. Part of the ceiling and wall have collapsed, and trees are now growing into the space. We climb in through the open window. Remarkably, everything is still in place - wooden pins with strings to reset them, a narrow ball gutter with iron balls smaller than modern ones, and, written on the wall in old German script: 'Sport frei!' This phrase, which roughly translates to 'Sports, hooray!' was commonly displayed to promote physical activity and community participation, reflecting socialist ideals.

DDR bowling halls, or 'Kegelbahnen,' were popular recreational spots during the GDR era, known for their modest, functional design that reflected the regime's focus on practicality and health. This location, while not particularly photogenic, is a fantastic find for urban exploration. It’s amazing how the space remains largely untouched, with only nature and time leaving their marks.

After soaking in the history, we quietly leave the way we came. As I somewhat carelessly climb back over the rough concrete fence, it scrapes the skin off my forearm. Dusk is approaching, and now I’ve had enough for today. We find a small campsite nearby and drive there to spend the night.

Today has included all the classic elements of our urbex photography days: a full day of exploring, some frustration with the weather and challenging shooting conditions, driving around to find a good parking spot, observing and noting our surroundings, climbing over fences and picking up minor scrapes, navigating through dense vegetation and avoiding thorns, and sneaking through quiet, intriguing, and dimly lit places with no one else around—only to be surprised by someone suddenly appearing around the corner in a basement corridor. These unique experiences, in the hunt for magical and unforgettable moments or the perfect shot, are what it’s all about.