Slaughterhouse H.

This was a nice one. Not in the sense that it was a particularly spectacular abandoned industrial spot, but in terms of people I've met in locations it was pretty cool.
But I'll start frm the beginning...
In late March of last year, my parents called me to tell me that they were going to the city of H. where they were going to meet with the people at whose house I've spent my exchange student year in the U.S. more than 25 years ago. They were attending a conference there and had told my parents who then told me.
My mother told me at which hotel they were going to stay, and when I saw that there were at least two nice spots really close to this particular hotel, I asked them if I could join them, and so I booked a room at the hotel, and about three weeks later, I was there.
The first location I visited was an abandoned slaughterhouse. Since it was really close to the hotel, I scouted the place the first night after we'd arrived late. To my surprise, there wasn't even a gate, only concrete blocks that prevented cars from driving onto the premises. That was easy.
I took a little stroll towards one of the buildings, but I didn't have my camera with me, and I noticed that there were LED lights in some of the buildings. But there were no people, no party or anything. It looked cool, but it was also a bit weird.

The next day, I left the hotel after breakfast and went back to the slaughterhouse and in the way I'd found the night before.
The place itself was really run down. Lots of vandalism, plenty of graffiti and numerous fires have left their mark on a once really beautiful place.
A few times I tought that I was hearing something or seeing someone disappear into one of the buildings, but there was a group of geocaching people around, so I thought it was them.
Then I met the guy.
I'm not sure if he is an artist or a homless person. Maybe both. I don't know if he lives there or just comes there whenever he likes. But he also has a profound knowledge of some other lost places in the area as I've learned...
Anyway, he stumbled onto me and we talked for a little while.
He was the one putting up the LED lights with solar batteries on all of the buildings. "It looks much better than fire, don't you think?", he said.
He also puts paint over ugly graffiti and set up some more or less artistic installations in some of the buildings. In any case, he was a very interesting person and I am glad to have met him - and not just because he gave me some good hints for my next location...


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