There's a big contrast between warm summer evening in the countryside, and what you find a few meters under your feet: a massive, blown up Soviet-era bunker. Damp darkness, rebar that is difficult to crawl through. And we're here to practice photography!
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September 2018, Inkoon jättibunkkeri, Inkoo, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
I did not realise there was a pyramid in Rome. Not huge, but still impressive Cestius Pyramid! Modelled after Egyptian or other pyramids, perhaps
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August 2018, Cestius Pyramid, Rome, Italy
History; Urban-Exploration (Historic-Sites)
Is it an aquarium or a construct of the evil nazi regime? Well, both...
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August 2018, Haus des Meeres, Esterhazypark, Vienna, Austria
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
During World War II, the Nazis built so called Flak Towers -- fortified air defence bunkers -- in three cities, Berlin, Vienna, and Hamburg. I had previously been in the Thumboldthain tower in Berlin. Now I was able to visit two similar bunkers in Hamburg.
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August 2018, Heiligengeistfeld Flaktürme, Heiligengeistfeld, Hamburg, Germany; Energy Bunker, Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg, Germany
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
What a find! A secret garden, but with a keyhole that reveals the most beautiful view onto it, with St. Peter's Basilica exactly in the centre of the view.
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August 2018, Priory of the Knights of Malta, Rome, Italy
History; Urban-Exploration (Historic-Sites)
Catacombe di San Gennaro is one of the underground burial sites in Naples. Janne and visited this on a tour, and were surprised.
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July 2018, Catacombe di San Gennaro, Naples, Italy
History; Caving (Man-Made); Urban-Exploration (Catacombs)
Helsinki's recreation islands are interesting, also from the point of view abandoned military structures and ruins. Today's excursion was to Sirpalesaari.
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June 2018, Pihlajasaaren öljysäiliön rauniot, Helsinki, Finland; Pihlajasaaren bunkkeri, Helsinki, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Ruins, Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
While on my way to a conference, I wanted to do a small detour to visit a bunker that I had read about. A Stasi bunker.
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June 2018, Stasi bunker, Machern, Germany
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
Mystery metal hut. I was looking for an entrance to a tunnel I saw in Rotebro, but was in the end unable to find a way in. I did, however, find an odd, round metal hut at the top of the cliffs.
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May 2018, Metal hut, Rotebro, Sweden
Urban-Exploration (Buildings); Sauna (Normal)
While looking for remains of fortresses north of Stockholm, I came across something interesting in Fällbro. An old village, with rock carvings from the Iron Age (500 - 1000 AD).
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May 2018, Fällbro rock carvings, Täby, Sweden
Urban-Exploration (Historic)
More after-work bunker scouting. I thought I had already explored all the underground structures in the northern Korvlinjen, but apparently not. This "batteri" as they called it is a set of defence structures for guns, with small tunnels going from one structure to the next.
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May 2018, Karby batteri 1, Täby, Sweden; Karby batteri 2, Täby, Sweden; Karby batteri 3, Täby, Sweden
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
Well, that was dangerous. We're very careful when we visit blown-up bunkers. But, we did not expect intentional traps, at least not recent ones. Next to a bunker in Siuntio, Jarmo almost fell into a 5-meter deep well that was covered with fresh tree branches. Would he have hurt himself if he fell in, or even if not, would he have been able to get out if he was alone? Who does this sort of thing?!
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April 2018, Ansabunkkeri, Siuntio, Finland; Kallionreunan bunkkeri, Siuntio, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made); Hiking
I had a long day at my Kista office today, but on the way back to the airport I managed to scout ruins of fortifications and bunkers at Tivoliberget in Bergshamra, Solna, near Stockholm.
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April 2018, Bunker, Bergshamra, Solna, Sweden; Ruins, Bergshamra, Solna, Sweden; Fortifications, Bergshamra, Solna, Sweden
Caving (Man-Made); Urban-Exploration (Bunkers, Ruins)
I'm feeling a bit alone here. The tunnel ends are too far to see even that pinhole of light. I'm in a long railway tunnel on the Petite Ceinture, the "little belt", an abandoned (I think) rail system under Paris.
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April 2018, Old Charonne Station, Paris, France
Urban-Exploration (Tunnels); Caving (Man-Made)
Olli and I went to Sepänkylä to visit more bunkers, and to fly our drones. We found a standard Soviet Porkkala bunker model, relatively intact except for the room under the gun hole. But what wonderful flowstone!
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April 2018, Sepänkylän metsäbunkkeri, Sepänkylä, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Caving (Man-Made); Urban-Exploration (Bunkers)
Jeff and I were taking a walk after our meeting in Paris, and happened to run into an "elevated linear park", the Coulée verte René-Dumont. Such a beautiful creation! Also with some old railway tunnels.
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April 2018, Coulée verte René-Dumont, Paris, France
Urban-Exploration (Tunnels); Hiking