Abandoned buildings and deserted places bring out the curiosity in people.
IT worker Thomas Windisch, from Graz in Austria, went on a 12,000-mile journey of curiosity across Europe, going beyond ‘no entry’ signs of over 100 abandoned hotels along the way. Some hotels have been left empty for more than two decades, with decay leaving a surreal photo opportunity. It’s hard to believe that many of these hotels once hosted royals and high society. In their current dilapidated states, these hotels have evidently been long forgotten by society.
Thomas Windisch set out to capture images of dilapidated buildings across Europe.
He visited over 100 deserted hotels as he searched for the spectacular clash of dilapidation and luxury.
This room in Austria sums up the lonely, empty feeling of some of Europe’s grandest abandoned hotels.
These places have all the hallmarks of a great horror movie.
Windisch describes how the abandoned hotels gave a ‘surreal’ feeling that produced a real wow factor.
He said: ‘Of course I saw some of the shots on the internet before but when I entered the locations for real, I just stood there for several minutes and was like ‘Wow, this is amazing.’
If you squint your eyes, you can almost believe this Italian hotel’s banqueting hall to be a popular spot for rich tourists.
A closer look will reveal the majestic rooms to be engulfed in swathes of dust and moss.
This room appears a lot clearer of dust and decay than some of the others, but the German hotel has been closed for business.
This sitting area in a German hotel has managed to stay mould-free, and looks like it might have some nice views.
The bathroom of a honeymoon suite, would now be a thing of nightmares as oppose to a memory to treasure forever.
This is one place in Austria you wouldn’t want to stay in.
This bathroom was obviously one of this Austrian hotel’s more exquisite spots, but has been left to rot in a sad state of affairs.
Abandoned hotels from Slovenia also feature in the eerie photo album.
The photos show how much effort into interior designing has gone to waste as rooms are left to rot.
Incredibly, the grand piano remains at this Austrian hotel, and you can imagine a little work could restore this venue.
Although perhaps not to everyone’s style, the purple tiling has remained well maintained at this Austrian site.
The decay and the reclaiming of these buildings by nature add a bit of a surreal and mystic touch which makes them unique and even more interesting.
It’s pretty awesome to see areas of a hotel that are normally not accessible for guests and to understand how a big hotel works in the background.
Secret, forgotten places are meant to be discovered. Share these surreal photos with others below.