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Locomotive depot – Girl off the trail
The locomotive depot was built in the 19th century during Prussian occupation. Its design was innovative on a European scale at that time and was used to build similar facilities in Berlin and Magdeburg. The locomotive depot was used for the maintenance of steam locomotives. Renovation works were carried out there. In the central part you can see a turntable that allowed locomotives to be moved to the repair hall. There’re inspection pits on the sides. The specific atmosphere is created by the characteristic dome, with a vent in the middle, used for removing steam and smoke. Only minor repairs were carried out here, using parts supplied from other plants.…
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Abandoned Cinema
The abandoned cinema used to be an important cultural and entertainment centre of the city, but today it’s falling into ruin. The building was built between 1924 and 1929. Initially, it was intended to serve as a fire brigade facility. There was a fire station along with a practice room for the orchestra. However, right after its construction, the facility was leased and operated as a cinema until World War II. At that time, theatre performances and special events were also organized there. During the war, it was taken over by the Germans and returned to the fire brigade in 1946. In the 1980s, the building was closed due to…
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Power Plant – a post-industrial palace, Girl off a Trail
The power plant was built after World War I. The facility was designed in a modernist style by Georg and Emil Zillmann, architects of two workers’ housing estates in Katowice: Giszowiec and Nikiszowiec. The complex consists of three chimneys, the highest of which reaches as much as 120 meters. Another characteristic element is the clock tower with a four-sided clock. The dial of each clock has a diameter of 5 meters and each hand weighs approximately 100 kilograms. Apparently it is the second largest tower clock in Poland. Initially, the plant was designed as a gunpowder factory, the massive walls and a light roof, were intended to reduce the shock…
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Urbex – Lebanon, Girl off the trail…
Urbex (urban exploration) is a way of exploring places that are abandoned and often inaccessible. I must admit that for some time this way of sightseeing has dominated my travels. Why urbex? I could find many reasons, but what excites me the most is discovering the history of inaccessible places piece by piece and the adrenaline rush associated with it. Abandoned places are unique and there’s an exceptional beauty in their slow decay. What’s more, the time causes their constant change, which makes each visit a different experience. These are the reasons why I decided to share my discoveries with you. I start the series with Lebanon – my last…
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Costa Rica attractions, naturally! Part I
I am starting my trip to Costa Rica in mid-November. I’ve planned to see paradise beaches, tropical rainforests, huge waterfalls, volcanoes and countless tropical animals and birds such as: sloths, monkeys, toucans and parrots. It sounds so exciting… Meanwhile, crossing the border with Panama in Paso Canoas, I’m thinking if it’s the right place. There is no one on the street and the wall of rain literally makes me invisible as well as everything around me. Of course, while organising this travel I took into account the possibility of heavy rainfall because of the end of the rainy season. However, I was full of hope because according to many sources…
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Visit Chernobyl… before it fades
Chernobyl, the name of this city to this day gives a lot of people the creeps, although many years have passed since the catastrophe. It took place on the night of April 25-26 in 1986 as a result of the nuclear reactor accident of the power unit no. 4. It’s one of the biggest disasters in the history of nuclear energy. A huge area was contaminated in Belarus and Ukraine, many people were forcibly displaced, a large part of the area was closed, and the radioactive cloud spread throughout Europe. How does this place look like now, 35 years after the catastrophe? This question has been bothering me for a…
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Russian Woodpecker – Duga in Chernobyl Exlusion Zone, Girl off the Trail
Russian Woodpecker (Duga) was my first point during exploration in Chernobyl, although I must admit that I would prefer it to be the last – such a cherry on the cake of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. I won’t hide that I went to Chernobyl, mainly to see the famous Moscow’s Eye not the site of the nuclear power plant disaster. Moscow’s Eye is the colloquial name given to the Soviet over-the-horizon radar system, which in the USSR was called Duga, or “bow”. The system consisted of three radars with a range of 3,000 km. Radars were transmitting and receiving devices that used the reflection of short radio waves from the…
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Mostar surroundings – an idea for a day trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina has gained popularity thanks to the pictures of the Old Bridge in Mostar. However, it’s worth visiting nearby tourist attractions, which in my opinion can even compete with Mostar itself. The most interesting thing is that these places usually haven’t been discovered by mass tourism yet, and until recently they weren’t even described in well-known guidebooks. They are slowly gaining popularity, yet they still retain their wild character. Just seven kilometres from Mostar, there’s an interesting military area, forged in rock and hidden in the lush nearby forests. It’s a huge hangar where fighter aircrafts were stationed during Tito’s regime. Unfortunately, now you’ll see there only a…
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Berlin in ruins part II, Teufelsberg – Devil’s Hill
In the competition for the weirdest place in Berlin, Teufelsberg, which in translation means – Devil’s Hill is definitely on the podium. The attractiveness of Teufelsberg was initially noticed by the Nazis. Under the direction of Albert Speer – Hitler’s architect, the construction of the military academy began on this site. The investment wasn’t completed due to the war, which took most of the expenses. After the war, the Allies attempts to blow up a solid German construction, ended with covering it with the debris, transported form bombarded Berlin. As a result, a pretty large 80-meters hill – the highest point in Berlin, was created. Initially, it was considered to…