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: Air-Raid Shelter W.

After visiting the “Moostaverne” on the sixth day of our 2020 summer vacation, we took a day off to relax a little. We often do this when we arrive at the husky farm, because the first evening is usually so full of joy at seeing everyone again that the next day is more about recovering from the hangover.

In this case, we also wanted to take it a little easier due to temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius.

Unfortunately, the temperatures hadn't changed much the next day. Nevertheless, we wanted to go on an outing, so we looked for a location that wasn't too far away and that we could explore in a short amount of time.

So we decided on an old air-raid shelter on the grounds of a huge former mineral oil plant. Originally, sixteen of these “Salzgitter” type bunkers were planned for the site. Eight were built, and only two have survived the decades since World War II. One of these two bunkers has been converted into a museum, but it rarely opens its doors to the public. The second remaining Salzgitter bunker on the site is located south of the premises of a metal recycling company. We drove around a bit to find a parking lot that wasn't too far from the bunker and, ideally, provided a little shade—given the heat, this was the right thing to do.

In the end, we parked in a small niche between some bushes right by the road and set off on the short walk.

Even this short distance had us sweating profusely.

When we arrived at the bunker, we could see an entrance and hoped that it would be a little cooler inside. But no such luck. The bunker is above ground and not covered with earth, so the summer sun and heat had plenty of time to warm up the walls. It was only marginally cooler inside than outside.

But of course we took a few pictures—nothing spectacular, because this place didn't really offer much in terms of photo opportunities. Nevertheless, visiting this place was another piece of the puzzle in our picture of the mineral oil plant, other parts of which we had already visited in the past.

As I said, it was just a little trip to satisfy our desire for abandoned places and history. But that was really enough in this heat, and we made our way back to the husky farm, where a nice siesta awaited us.

To find out more about the history ofm this place, click the button below.

Mold's Tavern

On the sixth day of our 2020 summer vacation, our route took us eastward. We had planned to spend the second half of our holiday with our dear friends at the husky farm and take day trips from there.

On the way, we took the opportunity to visit a location quite well known in the urbex scene – the so-called “Schimmelwirt”, which roughly translates as “Moldy Landlord.” It’s an inn that was built around 1890 and has stood vacant for many years following severe water damage.

Our plan required a small detour, but the wonderful summer weather made it more than worthwhile. The drive led us through the Weser Uplands – a landscape of rolling green hills and lush meadows. Beyond that, the road continued into a vast conservation area, characterized by deep forests and wide, unspoiled fields. Numerous ranches and stud farms in the region attract day-trippers and tourists alike.

Our destination lay on the southern edge of a small village, almost exactly halfway between our first stop and the husky farm. Fewer than 250 people live there.

The building stands directly beside the country road. On its eastern side are a few occupied houses, and there are more residential buildings across the street – which naturally increased the risk of being noticed.

There was no discreet place to park. However, since it was the middle of the week, we assumed most residents would be at work. So we took the chance and parked right in the inn’s own parking lot.

Almost immediately, we spotted an open door at the back of the building. We grabbed our gear from the car and got to work. Entering through the door, our first impression was disappointing: the room we stepped into looked more like a garage, cluttered with trash. But that disappointment didn’t last long – another door led from there into the heart of the inn.

Of course, we had seen photos of the place before, but we were still surprised to find that the first dining area showed almost no signs of decay. The inn must have been popular and lively in its heyday; we found dozens of commemorative plaques from local clubs that had celebrated their anniversaries there over the years.

Decorative items and even music cassettes were still scattered around, and an opened bottle of Linie Aquavit stood in the cake refrigerator.

From the bar area, we moved into another dining room – and here it became obvious how the place had earned its nickname. The water damage had truly taken its toll: plaster had crumbled from the ceiling and lay on the tables, wooden panels had come loose overhead, and the walls, though still paneled, had warped from the damp. Black and green mold covered almost every surface.

Interestingly, this level of decay was largely confined to that one area and to some of the rooms directly above it. The rest of the building – including the guest rooms – was in surprisingly good condition. Some parts had naturally suffered from years of neglect, but others still looked as if they could welcome new guests at any moment. The furnishings, of course, are far from modern – they evoke a charming nostalgia, a time capsule of the 1980s.

After about two hours of exploring, we had seen everything. We took a short break by the car and then set off again – after all, we wanted to reach the husky farm in time for dinner!

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

Tour Report: Villa of the Sleeping Piano

On the fourth day of our 2020 summer vacation, we were still traveling around western Germany. However, we left the Ruhr region behind to visit the two locations we had planned for the day and drove a little further east.

Our first stop was a stately villa with a thatched roof. The well-known motif - the “sleeping piano” - was something I really wanted to photograph, and it wasn't far from our accommodation.

By researching on Google Maps, we were able to get an idea of the local conditions in advance. There was a public parking lot nearby, and there were also parking spaces a little further down the road - after all, it was summer vacation, and you have to expect a corresponding influx of tourists.

We arrived late in the morning and did indeed have to park on the street - it was a beautiful sunny day, and many people were out and about. The nearby lake was full of small sailing and rowing boats, and the RV park also seemed to be well frequented.

We could well imagine how the residents of the elevated villa used to watch the colorful hustle and bustle on and around the lake from a large living room window or from the garden. During our visit, however, we couldn't even see the villa - the vegetation had grown so thick. Of course, this gave us the advantage of being able to move around the grounds unseen after we had quickly hopped over the fence.

We found an open door just as quickly as we were disappointed when we entered the house. The vandals - presumably local teenagers and children of tourists - had really smashed most of it to pieces, so there weren't really many worthwhile motifs left. Fortunately, the piano was still in its old place. Although it had not been spared by the vandals, it had been repeatedly reassembled by photographers.

On the upper floor, we found a few more rooms where holes in the roof and damp had caused some deterioration, but overall, with the exception of the piano, the visit was relatively disappointing.

On the upper floor, we found a few more rooms where holes in the roof and damp had caused some deterioration, but overall, with the exception of the piano, the visit was relatively disappointing.

So after about an hour and a half, we made our way to the next location.

To check out all the photos from this place, click the button below.

Tour Report: Cable Factory K. [Revisit]

On the second day of our spontaneous tour in June of 2018, we took it a little slower than the day before and explored only one location. It was really hot outside, so we didn't want to have to walk too far.

We decided to check out an abandoned chemical factory that I'd visited in 2014 and that wasn't too far away. We took the subway and the bus to get there, but as we arrived, we saw that every single door was sealed tightly. No chance to get in. So we chose to go for a revisit in the old factory next door. I had visited his place together with my brother in 2014, but my wife didn't have the chance to come with us at the time, so this was a nice opportunity for her to check the place out.

Although much had changed in the surrounding area (new apartments had been built along with parking lots), the access that we had taken four years earlier still worked nicely. The place consists of two huge factory halls with the adninistration building in the middle between them. We entered the factory in the first of the two halls.

Of course, there was a lot of graffiti, but the spring had put a lot of green plants into the hall, so it almost looked like a jungle. Nature reclaiming industrial sites is something that I really like to photograph, and we took our time to look at everything.

As we exited the first hall to get to the administration building and the second hall, we suddenly stood right in front of a yellow container - just like the ones frequently used by security services... We couldn't see if anyone was inside, so we decided to take the risk and just walk past it. When we had almost reached the next building, the container door opened and the security guard came out. He had us.

It is our habit never to run from security, but always be friendly and polite, admit to trespassing and saying that we're sorry. In most cases, when the security guards see a rather expensive camera and two people in their mid-forties, they usually believe that we didn't trespass to vandalize anything and let us go. It was the same in this case. The security guard was in his twenties, and we really had a nice talk with him for about a half hour before he wanted to let us out of the main gate.

I told him that we'd forgotten to take a selfie in the factory hall and asked if he'd give us five minutes - and he did. This was a good example of how polite and friendly behavior can help you to not get in trouble even if you got caught trespassing.

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