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.

Tour Report: Baroque Graveyard O.

We don’t always seek out the most spectacular, abandoned places. We find it just as exciting and interesting to explore the area where we happen to be. Sometimes we just drive around and see what we end up stumbling upon, and sometimes we check Google Maps to see if we can find an interesting marker where something exciting might be hiding.

It was similar with this cemetery.

The day before, we’d been on a long tour and wanted to treat ourselves to a quiet, relaxing day. By late afternoon, though, we felt like taking advantage of the nice weather and going on a short tour of the area. I checked Google Maps and found a reference to a small churchyard. Upon closer inspection, we could make out several stone graves that caught our attention.

So we set off. The drive was short; the cemetery was only a little over 10 kilometers away. Directly across the street is the small village square, where we were able to park without any trouble.

The church and the cemetery are still in use, but the last burials had already taken place several years prior to our visit in November 2020.

As we entered the small graveyard, we could already see the four old stone graves. On the way there, I had of course looked up some information about the place and discovered that these were graves from the Baroque era.

What particularly fascinated me were the depictions of skulls on the graves. This was quite common during the Baroque period. The large, richly decorated tombs suggest that the people buried here were once quite wealthy.

A few old gravestones still lean against a wall of the cemetery - this, too, is not uncommon: When relatives are no longer willing or able to pay the grave rental fee, or when there are simply no relatives left to rent a grave site for their ancestors, the grave is reused after some time. The gravestones often remain in the cemetery and are leaned against either the walls of the church or the cemetery wall.

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