We drove in two cars to south end of the Porkkala peninsula -- 50 minutes away -- to explore three bunkers there. The best map that we have of the abandoned Soviet-era bunkers comes from Lynx, the local orienteering club. Unfortunately, this time their map oversold what was to be found at the location.
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February 2021, Maakellari 1, Lähteelä, Porkkala, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Maakellari 2, Lähteelä, Porkkala, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Rauniot, Lillkanskog, Porkkala, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Vesi- tai lietesäiliö, Friggesby, Porkkala, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Ruins, Containers)
Need some excitement? Maybe crawling inside a blown-up bunker in the middle of dark forest would help. Hope the Nazi command is no longer on site... and that the ammunition laying in the ground isn't dangerous.
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August 2020, Lager Koralle, Wandlitz, Germany
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers, Military); Caving (Man-Made)
Today's swim was at the lake Tampaja, which I had never heard about before. It is a medium-sized lake near Lapinkylä in northern parts of Kirkkonummi. There's a nice public beach, but unfortunately not much space around for a more socially distanced swims.
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July 2020, Tampajan uintipaikka, Tampaja-järvi, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Tampajan rauniosauna, Tampaja-järvi, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Swimming (Outdoor, Water, Waterbody-Lake, Beach, Nature); Urban-Exploration (Buildings)
I was looking for a place to swim in Sundberg, Kirkkonummi. My first attempt was to get to the apparent harbour on the west side, near Morbacka. Could it be a Soviet-occupation era harbour? And maybe a swimming would also be possible? This needed investigation.
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July 2020, Sundetin uimaranta, Sundberg, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Sundbergetin satama, Sundberg, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Swimming (Outdoor); Urban-Exploration (Harbours)
Bunker... in Jorvas. With a ladder leading down a tight concrete shaft. How could I resist?
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April 2020, Sähköaseman bunkkeri, Masala, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
As I visiting Vihti anyway, I also wanted to see something abandoned, something not likely to have other people. I found an abandoned railway car in the middle of the forest.
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April 2020, Hylätty junanvaunu, Vihti, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Vehicles)
100 years ago, Frans Stockmann (Nov 1920) and his wife (Apr 1919) died in Spanish Flu. Their house project in Kauniainen was left unfinished, and remains as ruins in the forest. Today, in April 2020, lack of sales due to the Coronavirus, the famous Stockmann department store has applied for protection from its creditors ("yrityssaneeraus" in Finnish, roughly equivalent to Chapter 11 in US).
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April 2020, Stockmannin rauniot, Kauniainen, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Buildings, Ruins)
One particularly interesting thing about Mount Hermon were the military installations. Many of them. in active use, but also many that had been abandoned or that lay in ruins.
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February 2020, Abandoned watchtower, Mount Hermon, Israel
Urban-Exploration (Towers, Military)
What a shitty bunker! Literally.
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February 2020, Abandoned bunker, Mount Hermon, Israel
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
I was in Vienna already in 2018, but for 2020 Janne and I toured the Vienna museums befor e heading to the ski resorts in Austrian alps. This allowed a new visit to Haus des Meeres, the refurbished bunker-turned-into-and-aquarium, and visits to three other bunkers.
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January 2020, Haus des Meeres, Esterhazypark, Vienna, Austria; Flakturm Stiftskaserne, Vienna, Austria; Feuerleit Flakturm Arenbergpark, Vienna, Austria; Flakturm Arenbergpark, Vienna, Austria
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers, Military); Caving (Man-Made)
At the Vienna museum of military history (Heeresgeschichtliches Museum ), we saw a funny "kugelbunker", a concrete boulder for one person shelter from the world war times.
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January 2020, Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Vienna, Austria
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers)
This seemed like a good time of the year to go explore the start of Nobel industries in Vinterviken. Bunkers, tunnels, testing grounds, and simple factory buildings.
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December 2019, Nobel blasting tunnels, Vinterviken, Stockholm, Sweden
Urban-Exploration (Tunnels, Historic); Caving (Man-Made)
Once my meeting ended, I wanted to use the couple of hours I had for exploration, and got Tero to join me. I've already covered the Singapore caves and skiing... what remained was bunkers!
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November 2019, Seah Im Bunker, Keppel Hill, Singapore, Singapore
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
I felt the urge to visit odd places, and an old Nike missile base seemed to fit the bill. But, I was quickly losing light on the only day that I could do this. Then the shortcut turned out to be non-passable, and the short hike turned into a 8-kilometre trek on steep hills. In darkness. And, somebody had removed the ruins. Trip ruined? Not quite, the moon and the sea were wonderful in the darkness.
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October 2019, Nike missile site SF-51, San Francisco, California, USA
Urban-Exploration (Ruins, Military)
Janne and I visited Castle Eger in Hungary (Egri Vár in Hungarian). I loved the sign, "no ballet dancing on the top of the walls"?
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August 2019, Castle Eger, Eger, Hungary
History; Urban-Exploration (Tunnels)
It is always nice to dip in to sea for a swim. Even if you're visiting an abandoned underground submarine base.
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(TGR version)
August 2019, Ex. Yugoslavian military shelter for submarines, Rogačić, Vis, Croatia
Urban-Exploration (Tunnels, Bunkers, Harbours); Swimming (Indoor, Outdoor, Underground, Water, Waterbody-Sea, Waterbody-Other)