Sunday 25 May 2014

Psychiatric Ward in Gdańsk - Oliwa

This place is considered to be one of the most creepy abandoned buildings in Poland. The mental institution was a part of still existing Navy Hospital in Gdańsk old district Oliwa. The vintage villa (one of many other buildings that type in this neighborhood), located on the Navy Hospital's premises, was used as a mental institution between 1970's and 1990's. Since then the building has been forsaken, and unfortunately as many other spots that sort, was (and still is) being devastated by bums and squatters, so most of the interesting artifacts are long gone. The site is quite a challenge to enter as it's surrounded by fully functional hospital buildings, guarded by security and medical staff. Which obviously makes it even more thrilling :)



























Tuesday 20 May 2014

Slaughterhouse in Żukowo

Gdańsk's poultry processing plant "Drob-Pol", located in small town Żukowo (about 20 km away from Gdańsk) is a quite modern object (closed just a few years ago), so it's not that interesting as the old slaughterhouse in Gdańsk, yet still worth visiting. The building is vast with plenty of rooms, so it's very popular site for airsoft games. It's hugeness is the major advantage, as there are not so many artifacts left inside, though certain marks of it's former purpose make this place enjoyable in it's own peculiar way.
























Friday 9 May 2014

Castle in Łapalice

In small, modest Kashubian village Łapalice (located near the town Kartuzy, Pomerania) there is one of the most bizzare architectonic creations in the whole Poland. There is a huge castle, but unlike one could suppose, it's not genuine medieval fortress but a quite modern construction, besides it's still unfinished.

The Łapalice Castle is an artistic vision a local sculptor and manufacturer of antique stylized furniture. The artist decided to build an enormous, over-decorated (and also quite tawdry, honestly speaking) and intimidating looking structure, so he could run his art gallery there. The construction began in early 1980s', but after ten years had to be interrupted due to some legal confusion, and has never been restarted. Luckily, due to usual mess in Polish offices, the decision about the castle demolition has never been established, and nobody seems to care about this place anymore.

The spot is beautifully located in the forest, easy to access, so it's popular direction for weekend excursions, even for families with kids.





The gatehouse from the inside of the castle premises


A baptismal font


A swimming pool




A chapel



A garden view, from one of the castle "chambers"


A small pond belonging to the property


A chapel again, from the outside...


...and from the inside



Note the wooden ceiling, there was supposed to be wooden decor inside the entire building