Abandoned iron factory

Url: http://www.forbidden-places.net/urban-exploration-Uckange-Blast-Furnace#gal
Photographer: Sylvain Margaine
Location: France

Uckange Blast Furnace

Four blast furnaces were built between 1890-1891 and 1897-1898 at Uckange by the Stumm brothers. At that time Uckange and the Lorrain region belonged to Germany but following the world war 1 the factory became French and was renamed to « Forges et Aciéries de Lorraine » - Lorraines' Foundries and Steelworks.The factory had at most six blast furnaces which were renovated many times during the XXth century. The Lorfonte Factories, the site’s final name, peaked at 2800 steel workers producing 400,000 tons of cast iron per year!

The cast iron produced was mainly for molding - delivering countless applications. Raw materials were initially sourced from the local mines and carried to the site through miles of aerial conveyors. Later the coal was imported from Poland or Brazil which reduced operating costs.The N°4 blast furnace, totally renovated in 1976 (see refection schema below), was only started in 1988 due to the unfavorable economic situation. It is fed by a lift tower (called Staehler dumpster) in contrast to conventional blast furnaces which are fed by skips. Clabecq is a well known example of this.The factory ceased operations in 1991 and all the blast furnaces were stopped. Blast furnace N°1 was demolished with dynamite a few years later and today only the blast furnace N°4 will be preserved.

Theater within Norwich Insane Asylum

Url: http://www.forbidden-places.net/urban-exploration-Norwich-State-Hospital#.TnYhBdQ66M8
Photographer: Sylvain Margaine
Location: USA

Au theatre

The hospital first opened its doors in 1904 in Norwich, Connecticut. It was built in an idyllic location chosen for its therapeutic properties overlooking the River Thames.

The Norwich Insane Asylum was built isolated from civilization, which worked to its benefit as it began to grow during its early years sprouting new buildings that accompanied the original construction (see aerial view of the hospital here). These new construction projects included patient wards, staff cottages, laboratories and workshops. All of the structures were interconnected by a large network of underground utility tunnels. These tunnels transported electricity, hot water, and patients to various areas on the grounds. The hospital remained self-sufficient, almost like a small town, with its own power plant, pump house, working farm, kitchen, theater and church.

Over 3,000 patients and 1,000 employees were residents on the asylum grounds in the 1950’s.

Sanatorium With A View

Url: http://www.forbidden-places.net/urban-exploration-Sabinosa-s-Sanatorium#gal
Photographer: Sylvain Margainem
Location: Spain

Sabinosa's sanatorium

The Preventorio Marítimo La Sabinosa was built in 1929 following the plans of architect Francesc Monravà i Soler. It is located on a small peninsula between the large beaches of la Rabassada and la Sabinosa in Tarragona, Catalunya. Its architecture belongs to the 'multiple-unit' hospitals. Each ward block has only a few floors, with the four main wings winding around a central building.

The hospital is like a small town where one can find streets and avenues, little squares, fountains and pavilions. The symmetric layout is remarkable, while the surroundings are magnificent and protected. Built originally to house patients suffering tuberculosis, after the Spanish Civil war the sanatorium became used for much darker purposes.

For decades this is where generations of children left orphaned by the Francoist regime were imprisoned and mistreated in the most idyllic setting.

The hospital complex is nowadays totally derelict since its abandonment in 1976, shortly after the fall of the Spanish dictatorship.

Locomotive graveyard

Url: http://www.forbidden-places.net/urban-exploration-locomotives-graveyard#.TlLNoqg66M9
Photographer: Sylvain Margaine
Location: Belgium

Those wheels are simply amazing

There is about fifty abandoned diesel locomotives. These tiny 50 tons monsters have cute names like Edelweiss, Colibri or Artémis... Unusual urban exploration, buildings and locomotives only naturally decayed. Indeed, no vandalism. Only the time has hurt here.

Hospital de la marine

Url: http://www.forbidden-places.net/urban-exploration-the-hopital-de-la-marine-de-rochefort#gal
Photographer: Sylvain Margaine
Location: France

The architectural aesthetic, in a bungalow style, let in the sunlight. For the well-being of the patients. For those who no longer had any hope of recovery, the buildings included a parish church and two chapels. The fact that this establishment was home to the first school of military medicine in Europe, and the oldest school of naval medicine in the world, bears out its importance. Just like the patients, the future doctors were well looked after: accommodation was provided, but they could also study in a library stocking ten thousands of works, and a vast lecture hall. The hospice has been modernised over the years since 1788, but without losing its original beauty. Yet the hospital, no longer meeting modern hygiene standards, closed in 1983.