Tou Report: Brick Factory "Dusty Stuff"

After exploring only one location on New Year’s Day, we decided to slowly raise the bar and visit two spots the following day.

We had picked out an abandoned brick factory and a former Soviet communications bunker. The brickworks would be our first destination.

After a drive of a little over half an hour, we arrived at the site and started looking for a place to park. There were no nearby residential areas, no public parking spaces, and the village itself was some distance away, so we decided to simply leave the car on an unused field opposite the property.

The brickworks was not fenced off, and judging by the overgrown vegetation, nobody had been there in quite some time. The first building we came across was the former owner’s house. At the time of our visit, it was completely boarded up and securely locked, with no obvious way inside. We didn’t bother trying any further and moved on.

Next, we started exploring the factory buildings themselves - and what we found left us genuinely surprised. There was no vandalism, no graffiti, and hardly any signs of previous explorers. Instead, the site was still filled with countless small remnants of both business and private life. We found tools, booklets containing industrial production guidelines from the former GDR, medicine packaging, furniture, and even a few old machines. Many of the documents dated back to the 1950s.

Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, which is why I later gave this place the nickname “Dusty Stuff.”

From a photography perspective, the location had a few nice highlights, though nothing particularly spectacular unless you were interested in digging through the many documents and details scattered throughout the buildings.

Still, we spent quite a while inside the old brickworks. Before leaving, we walked once more through the ring kiln, then made our way back to the car.

To our surprise, the shepherd had arrived in the meantime. He kept his sheep on a nearby field right next to where we had parked. As expected, he didn’t look particularly pleased to see us coming from the abandoned factory, though he didn’t say anything. We greeted him politely as always, and he simply grumbled a brief “Good day” in return. At least he didn’t start asking uncomfortable questions, so we quickly loaded our gear into the car and headed off toward the next location.

And there, another encounter was already waiting for us — but more on that later...

To find out more about the history and to check out all the photos from this place, click the button below.

Tour Report: Bath House "Percussion"

For our New Year’s Day trip in 2021, we had something special in mind. We wanted to visit a place that had been on our list for a long time, yet somehow we had never made it there. It was a former municipal bathhouse that had been converted into a percussion instrument factory in the 1920s.

The location is well known within the urbex community, and we were hoping to explore it in peace. That’s why we set out on the morning of January 1st.

And we weren’t wrong. The public parking lot right next to the site was almost completely empty, and only a few scattered walkers were strolling slowly along the river.

We could have taken a direct and easy route, but despite the low number of people around, we decided to play it safe and approach the building from the back. That worked out perfectly, and we quickly found a way inside.

Of course, after so many years of abandonment, the once luxurious and magnificent building was in a rather poor condition. Still, its former grandeur was unmistakable - whether in the ornately decorated ceilings, the arched windows, or the classical-style columns. It was truly an impressive sight.

Throughout our visit, we were completely undisturbed. The grey, windy winter weather provided a fitting contrast to the lighter tones inside, and we took our time capturing the large central hall from every possible angle.

In some areas, it was clear that renovation work had been started at some point, but never carried through.

At the end of our exploration, we took a different route back to the car to get a few exterior shots of the building—again, without encountering anyone.

All in all, our first trip of 2021 was a complete success—and the following day would lead us to two more fascinating locations...

To find out more about the history and to check out all the photos from this place, click the button below.

Tour Report: Estate House "Field of Reeds"

I stumbled upon this old manor house from the late 18th century quite by accident during some research, and it immediately struck me as a perfect destination for our traditional post-Christmas outing with my mother and mother-in-law - not too far away, easy parking, and (hopefully) a straightforward way in.

Earlier that day, we had already visited a former school camp and an abandoned inn. Both explorations were successful in their own way, but from a photographic standpoint, neither location had much left to offer. So our hopes were now firmly set on the old manor.

From the nearby mill, it was just over a 30-minute drive. As we approached the village, we could already spot the tall wrought-iron fence and the overgrown park behind it. Then the manor itself came into view - imposing and elegant - and instantly sparked our curiosity.

As expected, parking was no issue. We could have stopped directly across from the property, but chose a slightly more discreet spot a bit further away and continued on foot.

Getting onto the grounds turned out to be no challenge at all, as there were several large gaps in the fence. Finding a way into the building was just as easy - there was an entrance at the back.

Once inside, I immediately regretted leaving my camera in the car and having to rely on my phone.

Parts of the manor were still in surprisingly good condition, with decorative elements from various periods clearly visible - remnants of the many renovations and alterations carried out by different owners over the centuries. Other rooms, however, had been almost completely stripped. The last owner had intended to restore the house to its original style, removing everything that didn’t fit the historical aesthetic - woodchip wallpaper and 1950s bathroom tiles among them.

Fortunately, aside from a bit of graffiti, there was relatively little vandalism, allowing us to truly appreciate much of the building’s historic character.

After about an hour, we had explored everything, and with the light already starting to fade, we began making our way back home.

I was a little disappointed that I had only taken photos with my phone—but we quickly agreed that we would return, properly equipped next time. So stay tuned for what we discovered just three weeks later!

To find out more about the history and to check out all the photos from this place, click the button below.