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Photographers in the former Soviet Union seem to really enjoy taking pictures of abandoned buildings, and that’s a lucky thing, considering how many of them they have. Photographer Uryevich explains the situation this way: “Most abandoned buildings, plants and areas appeared in the Soviet Russia (’70-’80) because they belonged to the “state” (meaning nobody) and afterwards (’90) as a result of the economic crisis.” Let’s take a look at some of their work (absolutely the envy of wannabe urban explorers like myself), starting with this abandoned cement factory near Moscow (at right and below, photos by Uryevich). Update: for those who missed it, last year I did a post on the 50-km “Exclusion Zone” surrounding Chernobyl; very creepy stuff.
Contemplating a frightening hole in the floor. (I’m glad they wore breathing masks.)
This one is titled “derelict children camp (Moscow region)”:
The trains don’t run much these days … photo by Uryevich:
Graffiti like this would make anyone a little nervous.
These are from the always-interesting (if not always grammatical) EnglishRussia, who offers this as socio-political explanation:
When the Soviet Union collapsed, government didn’t have much funds to support some small cities around strategically important objects. People of these cities were left all by themselves. Nobody could support them because any communication with this places terminated after the army decided that they now don’t have money to support those objects. People had to leave their places and move. Some were lucky to find their place under a sun of the Army of new Russian Federation, some less fortunate had to leave such places without any hope to find a new home, just because the shops stopped working, water stopped coming out of the faucet and nobody cared about them any more.
A gymnasium in a public school:
The lunchroom at a public school. The sign reads “Bon appetit!”
Interior of a derelict church:
These were taken in an abandoned Russian village made from wood. It reminds me of American ghost towns of the Old West:
… except for this distinctly Russian structure, that is:
Ransom, I LOVE your posts!
posted by Melodye on 2-22-2008 at 11:52 am
In Soviet Russia, town abandons YOU!
posted by Miss Cellania on 2-22-2008 at 12:00 pm
You should add a link to your Chernobyl post from a while back for anyone who might have missed it. This is fascinating stuff, as always!
posted by Roger on 2-22-2008 at 12:05 pm
Miss Cellania wins with best quote of the day.
posted by Simon on 2-22-2008 at 12:14 pm
Fantastic pics. You can “feel” the
abandonment.
posted by Jewel on 2-22-2008 at 12:15 pm
Roger: sounds good, I’ll do that!
posted by Ransom on 2-22-2008 at 12:24 pm
Is there an award for ‘Best Writing About Abandoned Towns and/or Buildings’? You need to be nominated.
Anyone know of anything eerie like this in Southern California? I’ll pay for your gas.
posted by Jason on 2-22-2008 at 12:51 pm
Don’t ask me why, but I just find these buildings amazingly beautiful, graphically cool and just a whole story unto themselves! (I can see my Pro writing buddies ripping this sentence apart!)
Thanks for another great post!
posted by Renee Walker on 2-22-2008 at 1:21 pm
Ransom, I really like your posts. Thanks for linking to the Chernobyl story–very, very sad and eerie.
posted by kate on 2-22-2008 at 2:35 pm
My fiancee is fascinated by abandoned buildings. His family used to drive past one out in the country when they went into one of the larger towns; he told me he always thought that Swamp Thing would live somewhere like that.
These articles are amazingly cool - keep ‘em coming, Ransom!
posted by kitsana_d on 2-22-2008 at 2:38 pm
So interesting, and unsettling. I got the shivers when I came across the lunchroom photo.
posted by mrs.djs on 2-22-2008 at 3:53 pm
The History Channel special “Life After People” referenced Chernobyl and the abandoned cities as examples of what modern cities would look like if people just disappeared
posted by Megan on 2-22-2008 at 5:33 pm
Ransom, I love that this combines my secret love of Russian culture and your not-secret love of old rad things. More!
also, I think you should take a photo tour of old rad buildings in the greater Los Angeles area.
posted by jenny on 2-22-2008 at 7:38 pm
The Lost Towns of Russia | Deliggit.com
\r\nPhotographers in the former Soviet Union seem to really enjoy taking pictures of
posted by Deliggit.com | The social sites' most interesting urls on 2-23-2008 at 1:52 pm
I’ve loved all your posts about abandoned buildings and urban spelunking; they’ve given new fodder for my love of old things. Keep up the good work!
posted by Ed on 2-23-2008 at 4:06 pm
Wow those pics are hauntingly beutiful. I heard that even with the GDP growth in the country under Putin things aren’t improving much.
posted by John P on 2-24-2008 at 11:23 am
ha! town abandons you. i’m not completely suprised there is such an abundance of abandoned infrastructure in russia. given the shit weather, the shortage of people and man power, and the sheer SIZE of the place, it’s a bit more suprising when such far-flung towns continue to survive despite the place.
i remeber seeing some show on travel channel or discovery channel or something like that about the coldest town in the world out in siberia, and how the person operating the power plant doesn’t get paid but can’t stop operating the place or they would all die or something. and i guess they were all living off reindeer. pretty interesting stuff.
posted by Sue on 2-24-2008 at 3:42 pm
Sad, yet strangely beautiful.
posted by beth on 2-25-2008 at 11:00 am