Factory M (NO)

I had a very interesting trip to this Norwegian abandoned factory earlier this year. I found an inside space with trees and vegetation growing, and it was really cool to see how nature was taking the place back. A huge hole in the roof, which probably once supported a tank, made a perfect opening for incoming rain. The factory once received dead animals and waste parts from slaughter houses and these materials was grinded up to bone meal. High levels of animal fat in the ground, as well as residues from the factory operations, caused a peculiar smell on the entire first floor.

The place was abandoned in 1995 and is now demolished, but is well documented by a few Norwegian urbexers who suddenly found an interest in this place.

Factory exterior.

Another shot of the derelict factory in the distance.

Inside on the first floor.

A tank and other ruble on the messy first floor.

A room on second floor.

The two cool scales with faces.

Details of a wall.

Top floor.

Work bench and view over the top floor.

Another top floor shot looking towards my favourite area.

Really cool how nature is taking back the place.

Another shot of the trees and vegetation inside the factory.

Gauge detail 1

Detail shot

Gauge detail 2

Looking upwards from the bottom floor to the top with fish-eye.

Another part of the factory.

Easy access in and out.

The grinders.

Military Camp O (NO)

Pictures from a trip I had earlier this year to this abandoned military camp somewhere in Norway. Originally the grounds was a farm but the officers took over the place in 1663. During the second world war German soldiers used the place a convalescent home. At least one of the buildings on the grounds today are built in 1887 but most of the buildings looks newer.

Between 1952 and 1998 the camp was used as a military camp. The camp has been used as a base for Norwegian UN operations and quarters for a nearby Nike battery. The military activity here ended in 1998 and from then to 2004 the place was a refugee camp operated by the Red Cross with 300 refugees from 27 nations.

Today the buildings are abandoned and the decay is prominent. The camp is registered as heritage properties and thereby listed and can not be demolished.

The gate

Buildings close to the entrance.

Reception

Nice building built in 1887

Inside the canteen building.

Looking towards the kitchen area.

The closed doors to the canteen building.

Main hall

Stage

A cool organ in front of the stage.

The large kitchen with lots of stuff left.

Kitchen equipment still hanging.

Washing machines

Shop in the basement with lots of fire extinguisher powder on the floor.

Small kitchen in the basement.

Garages in the other end of the camp.

Asylum T (UK)

This deserted asylum is abandoned in a small town in Wales with the same name. I’ve seen pictures of this place when it was abandoned, but still inn good shape. Now the decay is everywhere and little stuff is left. Thieves has taken lots of stuff, even the roof tiles. Signs outside the buildings tells us: .Keep out! Danger! Everything of value has been stolen’. Our mission is purely photographing and exploring.

The hospital was officially opened in February 1903 and could house 352 patients. In the end of 1925 455 patients were present. It is build in an echelon (compact arrow) style which is common in England and Wales. This made the buildings easy accessible and it was also easy to build on new parts. In 1955 two additional wards were constructed. During WW1 soldiers were treated here – many suffering from shell shock. Under WW2 psychiatric patients and prisoners of war was kept here. In the mid 1990s parts of the place was left unused and in 2000 the place was completely abandoned.

There was also an abandoned church across the road, but we didn’t find a way in. If we had, it would probably be too dark to photograph something in there anyway.

The administration building.

The old main hall.

Main hall windows.

Corridorshot from outside the main hall.

A room with a chair an fireplace.

Lonely chair.

TV room.

A very nice red stair.

Red stair another angle.

One of the abandoned buildings.

A very dark room with chairs and lockers.

Exterior shot taken when we moved to another building.

Another exterior shot. This is the main hall from outside.

A room with a bridge used to watch mental patients below.

The “famous” red corridor, now in decay.

A bathroom in the upper floors.

Thieves steal everything – even roof tiles.

Back of the admin building, shot while we left the palce.

Explorers at work.

Shopping Center (NO)

This large shopping center, KB-center or Kløfta Butikksenter, stands empty and unused, north of Oslo. It was bought by Olaf Thon ten years ago and has been neglected since then. The only major competing shopping center nearby is Romerikssenteret, which is also owned by Thon.

The locals are upset that the KB-center is not demolished. The municipality has ordered the owner to demolish many times, but the court doesn’t think it is “looking ugly enough” for the local community.

There have been attempts to use the building for other business, but this has not succeeded. Now the owner wants to build apartments on the land but the municipality doesn’t want that. So the tactic is: If the owner doesn’t get permission to build, the buildings will just stand there unused and abandoned. Currently, it appears that the parties still disagree with each other.

I see the frustration of the local people. But then again it is quite fascinating to see such a building stand derelict and unused.

Front entrance still with advertising poster

Windows next to the front entrance

Front entrance

Back door to the parking lot

The abandoned shopping center

Side door

Panorama view

Garden center (NO)

Sometimes it’s interesting to see how fast something is battered, tagged down and destroyed when it is abandoned. This abandoned garden center has been vacant for about a year. It is a relatively fragile building with a lot of glass. The interior is full of goods like ornaments and plant fertilizer bags. The rear end is a living area with bedroom, office and bathroom.

The building is demolished and they are building new apartments on the site.

Exterior of the abandoned garden center

The door

Looking inside through broken glass

Lots of leftovers

Some more things

Broken sharp glass

Wheel barrow

Destroyed cash machine

Did they left in a hurry?

Fertilizer bags

More trashed stuff

Living quarters

Inside the office

Dikemark student dormitory (NO)

The brick building is one of the newer buildings at Dikemark that were built around 1970 but is now completely abandoned. It was originally a dormitory with school part for nursing students. It was closed in 1990. It was used as an immigrant asylum during the war in the old Yugoslavia. During that time the building was quite vandalized and it is perhaps why it stands empty today.

The student dormitory building

Statue on the parking lot

The entrance

Exterior 1

Exterior 2

They really don’t want anybody to enter

Growing through

Mailbox to the school

A stair outside

The terrace

Part of the building

Old truck

The pictures below are from some of the other Dikemark hospital buildings. Some are still in use but they are closing down and all activity will cease in 2011. What then happens to Dikemark is uncertain. Most of the buildings are empty and it is important to preserve buildings before it falls together as in Lier.

Dikemark opened in 1905. Christiania (former name of Oslo) community bought Dikemark farm in 1898 farm to build a replacement facility for the city’s oldest asylum, Christiania Sindsygeasyl. The area was beautiful, suitable for power generation with waterworks and agriculture – the perfect place to treat patients. The farm gave patients something to do that was important for recovery, said doctors.

Dikemark was raised using the “colonization principle” where each department had its own building. It reminds me of a village where the houses (about 21 houses in 1910) are scattered around with roads in between. This meant that patients received a lot of fresh air when they were walking between buildings. In the 70ties-80ties there were 900 patients and 1500 employees here.

Administrative building

Dikemark building

These buildings are quite beautiful

Tanum Sommarland (SE)

In the early 1980′s, before the economic recession and crisis, there were built many new amusement parks in Sweden. Only in 1984 five such places were built around the country. A few years later they built even more, including ‘Tanum Sommarland’ (Tanum Summerland) in Bohuslän. Here the children ran around happy using slides, climbing frames and doing other water activities. The kiosk was selling food that one enjoyed in the sun or sitting at small wooden tables with roof.

Now everything is left desolate and abandoned. The water slide is empty and the pool table next to the kiosk has clearly seen better years.

The innermost, largest climbing stand is in such bad condition that I did not dare to go up in it. A garbage bin is enclosed with tall grass. It is a sad sight and my thought goes back to a time when children were laughing and there were happy days.

Welcome to Tanum Sommarland

Reception house were people bought tickets and parked their cars on the grass fields

Inside reception

Climbing structure in the back

Some sort of asphalt track

The biljard table next to the kiosk

Alien bin

Water slide in the woods

Doesn’t look to tempting perhaps..

On top of the slide looking down

Dirty water

In the early 90′s the positive trend turned and Sweden struggled financially. High inflation and high interest rates meant that many went bankrupt. The competition between the amusement parks increased and cheaper foreign travel, computer games and cable TV contributed to a battle for filling people’s spare time. Someone had to lose like ‘Tanum Sommarland’.

The kiosk were people bought food

A wheel that is part of a water installation

When an event company (Mega Event) in the early 2000′s decided to add a music and extreme sports festival on the same day as the ‘Hultsfred festival’, it ended in a huge bankruptcy and they were owed 5 million kr.

Mega Event leftovers

Some years later the area was bought by a Norwegian company with plans to turn it into another recreational facility. They wanted to build an apartment hotel, spa and amusement park. But that initiative also went bankrupt.

Slide

In 2007 a large rave party was held on the grounds with 2000 young people. It ended with 30-40 policemen stormed the area and many were arrested for use and possession of drugs.
It is obviously not easy to conduct business here. That’s why the park is decayed and abandoned, waiting for someone with a new smart business idea to try out.

Derelict playground

Some sort of slide on a hill overgrown with trees and bushes

The water installation