

One was a darkroom used by the newspaper. Hey, I just met you!”Ī couple of the rooms caught my attention. There’s also the occasional deep message, such as “Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy! I have Alzheimer’s. Some are the usual graffiti, but you can also find some really good pieces. The rubble here is a bit less, and there is a new addition to the building – lots and lots of street art.
URBAN EXPLORER BADGE WINDOWS
The guard doesn’t want people visible in the windows from the street, and there’s not much of anything different on those floors. Shattered windows open up to courtyards rife with foliage and doorways leading to empty air. Here you can explore various rooms, the use of which can only be vaguely guessed at.

On the first floor is a foyer decorated with the original logo of Truth Press. The decrepitude begins as you enter the building, and gets worse as you ascend the banister-less stairs. It’s nearly impossible to feel like you’re in the center of a major capital as you explore this building. Shoes, preferably thick-soled, are absolutely mandatory with the amount of broken glass throughout the building. Just stay away from the windows on the lower floors, and don’t get hurt. An old guard is at the entry to prevent intruders, but he can be bribed. The building is located at Strada Constantin Mille 15, behind the National Military Circle (Ballroom). Palatul Adevarul is a great example of this. In 1989 after the fall of Communism, buildings in Bucharest were returned to their original owners, but many couldn’t pay for the continued upkeep. Then Communists took control of the facilities to print their Stea (Star) paper. After World War II, the Germans took over and printed the Bukarester Tageblatt (Bucharest Daily Sheet). Originally opening in 1898, this was the headquarters of the largest newspaper in Romania – Truth Press. Here’s a list of the locations we saw on the Beautiful Decay Tour. Yet, some of the more rundown locations offer a wonderful adventure of exploration, and some incredible street art as well. A significant portion of the city was even razed to the ground in the ’80s to build the aforementioned Palace of the Parliament, which is currently 70% empty. Once known as the “Little Paris of the East,” many historic monuments are a shadow of their former glory. Even the communist era saw the construction of the second largest governmental building in the world by the dictator.īut not all the development has endured. It became the capital of Romania in 1862, and since then has been a playground of architects and artists. Established nearly six hundred years ago, it’s now the six-largest city in the EU (possibly soon to be fifth when Brexit is finalized). The history of Bucharest goes back hundreds of years.


URBAN EXPLORER BADGE HOW TO
It’s dangerous to climb, but once you’re at the top, “you get a pretty good view.”Įxploring the Damen Silos is illegal, but this site provides detailed instructions how to access them.Ĭheck out some of the videos below of people exploring the century-plus-old silos. He added that the silos have a fire escape going up the side. “The maze of tunnels can make for some very creepy yet stunning photographs, also while exploring down there you find some pretty interesting rooms.” “There are thousands of square feet of tunnels which stretch under half the 24-acre lot,” Kinsch said.
URBAN EXPLORER BADGE SERIES
Kinsch said one of the more popular areas is the basement, “which is comprised of a series of tunnels that you can easily get lost in.” Dave “Gone” Brault, then a 23-year-old college student, even lived in the silos earlier this decade. There are lots of curiosity seekers like Kinsch. They were built in 1906 by the Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, and they had capacity for 400,000 bushels of grain. have been useless since a 1977 explosion. “There have been days this past summer where you would find 20-25 people there, giving the feeling that it was a Chicago tourist destination.” “Many of my friends frequented the spot and you would always see a group of teens exploring when you went there,” said Kinsch, who makes a habit of exploring abandoned Chicago places like Edgewater Medical Center. CHICAGO - Chicago photographer Mike Kinsch loves visiting the abandoned Damen Silos.
