photos: Dietmar Eckell
Continuing our article series on forbidden and forgotten places around the world, whether they are underground or way above ground, all these pictures have one thing in common: they showcase parts of the world we would rarely discover on our own and they demonstrate the love of the respective photographers for their art, that makes them defy any danger or challenge that comes along with such an adventurous endeavor. Read on…
photos: Alexander Steffen
Should you ever talk to people who have lived in Berlin for decades, there is no chance that they won’t underscore how much the city has changed through time. Unfortunately, they are not pleased with what Berlin has turned into and while each of them might have a different account of what exactly the core of the problem is and who is to blame, they would all agree that gentrification has exacerbate the situation. Without intending to initiate another debate on how to tackle this alarming phenomenon, I would like to raise awareness for a beautiful photo project by Alexander Steffen. Having grown up in West Berlin, he started the project Vanishing Berlin in 2009 by taking pictures of transient landmarks all over the city. Wastelands, storefronts and brick walls are central elements of his work. While some of the photographs seem to have been captured decades ago, they were all taken in the last seven years. Alexander’s focus doesn’t lie on the past, but on the process of change instead. In October 2016 the book was officially released and can be ordered online here. On September 8th 2017 Alex will open his new exhibition revisiting his Vanishing Berlin series.
Sad news for urban explorers of Berlin. One of the most beloved abandoned places of the city has vanished. In the night of July 22nd 2016 the former public swimming pool and water park Blub in Neukölln burned down. The place was a popular spot for explorers, photographers and Instagrammers alike for years now, especially since it was one of the more easier ones to get into. Many abandoned places are heavily sealed off, or guarded by righteous neighbors or even security. But here you could basically just stroll in through an open fence.
I went there last year with a friend who is a born and raised Berliner and he still remembers going there to have some fun in the water as a kid. He was shocked to see the place abandoned, so vandalized and full of graffiti. Of course places that are so easily accessible also attract all kinds of shady people that want to let out some steam. There had been several fires over the past year, but the last one took down the main wooden constructions and tower which makes the place completely inaccessible and unsafe. It’s probably going to be torn down entirely soon now and new buildings are already planned to be constructed in its place. Such a shame, not just that this fun water park had to shut down business many years ago, but also that this amazing ruin is also vanishing now. Of course with the development of Berlin there is a lack of space, so all of our beloved abandoned places are endangered to but torn down for new constructions. Let’s hope we can keep a few of them as our urban playgrounds.
It’s still one of Berlin’s most mysterious abandoned places: The old CIA spy station Teufelsberg. Located on a hill that was formed by the rubble of World War II it is one of the most popular destinations for urban explorer and fans of graffiti. The spectacular building has a ghostly appearance and is covered in murals, tags and graffiti. If you haven’t been yourself, maybe this cool short video will finally convince you to go!
The blog Abandoned Berlin is the #1 source for urban explorers as it’s the most comprehensive archive of abandoned places in and around Berlin, with detailed descriptions of how to get inside and what the dangers might be; it also has a lot of information about the history of the places. For me the most interesting part of the blog are the comments where recent visitors of each place leave their updates on the current situations regarding safety and accessibility.
The founder of the blog, Ciarán Fahey, also released a book with his favorite photographs from the blog that we reviewed a while ago. Now we stumbled across a brand-new wonderful documentary short that filmmaker Jordi Busquets shot with Ciarán. It includes footage of some of the most stunning abandoned places of Berlin such as the Teufelsberg spy station, the Spreepark amusement park, the old Children’s Hospital nicknamed Zombie Hospital, the former Tempelhof Airport (actually the only one that’s not really abandoned as it’s a huge refugee camp and public park now) and the old airport in Johannisthal. In the video Ciarán tells the story of his passion for urban exploring and how he started his blog and also some info on the history of the featured places. A great inspiration for all urban explorers. Enjoy the video after the jump.
Today I would like to show you another cool Berlin video that shows the city from its urban and rough side. Filmed by videographer Frank Sauer group of freerunners chase through some of the iconic abandoned buildings of Berlin such as the Beelitz asylum. They balance in dizzying heights, make air flips and walk up and down the walls as if there was no gravity. The light up the dark underground spaces with flares and bring colors to the old grey buildings with smoke bombs and Holi powder. It’s pretty impressive and fun to watch, enjoy some screen grabs and the video after the jump.
Anyone who has seen the second season of the iconic TV show America Horror Story knows: Old asylums are creepy as fuck. Berlin has one of those pretty close by, I’m sure some of you have heard about the Refugium Beelitz that is located a bit South of Potsdam and can easily be reached by train. The asylum was built in the late 19th century for patients with lunge diseases. In the years of the two world wars it was used as a lazaret and sanatorium before it became a regular clinic for the remaining half of the century. Around 2000 it was abandoned and its condition deteriorated over the years. The special charm of the architecture mixed with the decay made it a magnet for film makers who shot Hollywood films here, but also for perverted minds, such as one particular guy back in 2008 who lured girls there for photo shootings that ended really ugly for them.
How far would you go for the best shot? I’ve seen people crawl on the floor, bend over backwards and climb up lamp posts to take the most impressive photo possible. But there are some people who go much further: Stand on the edge of a skyscraper, climb onto a crane or sneak into the restricted areas of subway stations, constructions sites and abandoned ruins.
Young Berlin-based photographer Jeisson Martin is one of those crazy people that won’t be held back by a “Do Not Enter” sign to make an amazing photo. For him the extreme situation that he puts himself into at times have become part of the fun of taking photos. In a world where almost everyone who has a smartphone and the VSCO cam app can take cool pictures it has become more of a challenge to really stand out, and what better way to stand out than to stand in a position where most people don’t dare to go.
And Jeisson’s work definitely stands out as he manages to show Berlin from angles that you haven’t seen before because they are mostly taken from restricted areas and dizzying heights. We would like to show you some of his amazing shots that he made in the underground of Berlin, abandoned places and from the rooftops of Berlin. Enjoy his photos and if you want to see more you should follow him here.
photo: Flughafenmuseum Finowfurt *
If you think the Tempelhof Airport is the only airport in and around Berlin that has found a new meaning and a second life, you probably haven’t heard of the former military airport of Finowfort that is about an hour outside of Berlin near Eberswalde. I first heard of this airport through our blogger colleagues from Dandy Diary who shot the lookbook for their amazing travel backpack with Harris Tweed and Johnnie Walker Black Label there a couple of months ago. In the haunting photos you see what looks like an abandoned old airport with a couple of overgrown hangars and rusty old military planes. In fact the airport is not quite as dead as it looks in the photos from the lookbook as it is home to an airport museum showing a lot of classic small planes and technical equipment of the old airport. They also host a couple of special events over the course of the year such as old timer fairs and car races, miniature plane model conventions and more. I think the place has a lot to offer in terms of stunning visuals and interesting historic memories. Check out some impressions from the airport including some of the lookbook photos from the Dandy Diary backpack.
Berlin-based photographer Yuto Yamada has two favorite objects for his camera: Berlin and the city where he comes from: Tokyo. For his ongoing series Berlin Raw he is taking us on a journey to the dirty and abandoned side of Berlin with all its graffitis, decay and destruction. It’s a total contrast to his otherwise very futuristic and shiny photos of Tokyo’s illuminated skyscrapers. It’s exactly this contrast that is the appeal for Yamada. Get an impression of some his Berlin rawness after the jump.