So on a sunny Saturday, we set sail for Denmark (metaphorically of course, we took the car) and drove up to one of the picturesque Danish islands in the Baltic Sea.
The first spot we had set our sights on was an old textile mill which unfortunately proved inaccessible at the time. After checking every possible entrance, we decided to go on and give the steel company a try. After all, I had been there twice already, and there was never a problem.
Not this time.
It started with "our" parking spot (which was the driveway of another company) being used by its owner. So we parked on a public parking spot near the locations and walked the way back to our designated access point. Unfortunately, the house next to our access was swarming with activity. Cars coming and going, people walking in and out of the house, someone came with a trailer delivering things - in short: this wasn't going to be our way in.
We waited a little to see if the activity would seize, but that didn't happen, so we went to check for another way in. We climbed over fences, crawled through bushes, but no dice, the place remained closed. That is, until my friend checked the door right next to our car.
It was open and led right to the hall with the Porsche.
We were delighted that we had found a way in after all and started taking photos right away. The first two times that I had been there, I'd missed the offices, so that was the first part that I explored this time around. It was amazing - never before have I seen such moldy beauty! I must have spent more than an hour in there, and when I was getting ready to go back into the factory halls, Freddy came in and asked if I had heard the noises as well.
I said that's probably an open window in one of the halls that was rattling - just as I'd known from my first two visits.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
The second that I'd stepped into the factory hall and started smoking a cigarette, I heard the sound that Freddy was talking about - and it sure wasn't the window.
From the other hall, I heard steps coming towards me, and before I could reacat, two Danish cops came around the corner. I stood there with my cigarette and my tripod, smiled at them and said "Hi there! German or English, please."
The male cop answered, "English. What are you doing here?" I really do like the accent of Danish people speaking English - it always makes me smile. I told them what I was doing, and he asked me if I was alone, to which I truthfully answered that there was one more guy with me. In that moment, Freddy came out from one of the doors as if to confirm my statement.
But right after that, the window in the other hall started to rattle. Of course, the cops got suspicious and asked us again if we were alone. I told them about the window and they were content with the answer.
The male cop asked us (the female cop didn't say one word the hole time and just grimly looked at us) why we were taking photos, and we told them about the fascination we have with abandoned places and the decay of things after people leave. He was really friendly and said that he understood and that we could keep the photos we took, but we'd have to leave. So we left the way we came and smoked a cigarette at the car. the cops had parked right behind us, and when they came out, we talked a little more (the female cop was still silent and grumpy) before we drove on to the next location.
This was the first time since I started exploring that I ever got caught by police. I didn't think that it would be in another country, but the friendly cop with the Danish accent made it a worthwhile experience ;)
To find out more about the history of this amazing place and to check out all the photos from this spot, click the button below.
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