My City of Ruins
Ever wondered what a brutalist style dormitory from the communist era looks like? There's one right in my neighborhood - the dormitory of the faculty of dental medicine at Sofia's Medical University. It's a perfect representation of Bulgaria's healthcare system, as well as a wonderful (well, depending on what type of photographer you are) subject for photography.
Danger - No Trespassing. The dormitory is surrounded by barbed wire and there are a few of these signs attached with cable ties.
I don't think the building has ever been renovated - the holes and cracks in the concrete make me think that it is soon about to collapse. The fact that people lived here until three-four years ago is bizarre.
The dorm was also home to a pharmacy, a small supermarket, and a lousy restaurant. I never visited the latter.
That used to be a sofa. It's been there for quite some time now.
*Some of the windows are broken. Here and there, I can see jars on the sills, but I am not sure if they are empty or filled with rotten food. *
My grandmother had such a broom.
Laundry room.
I climbed that staircase once when I went to the pharmacy.
I don't have an explanation for this.
Even the ivy is decaying...
I must check if there's a way to sneak inside the building for It'd be cool to take photos of the empty rooms and corridors.
Thanks for dropping by!
Dan
Hey Dan....I'm going to be away from Steemit for the summer. Just wanted you to know in case you wondered where I was.....give my regards to @aginese. Hope you enjoy your summer too and I'll touch base when I return.
Hey Deb! I have also been away from Steemit for the last couple of weeks - it's good to take a break :) I will send your regards to @agniese, and I hope you have a great summer! Send my regards to John, take care and see you soon :)
If that was in my hometown, it would be either teeming with squatters or have been stripped by scrap-metal collectors long ago. I think there must be a caretaker of some kind living there, if the bucket and broom are anything to go by
Lol, that would have happened here as well if the building was in another neighborhood :) There used to be a security guy some time ago, but he was nowhere to be seen when I was taking the photos.
Wow... That doesn't look safe at all. How were people still in there so recently? And those stairs looked like they were about done.
I like the photo of the broom the best. As for the buckeet, it certainly adds a bit of a post-apocalyptic vibe!
Abandoned places are interesting, from a photography standpoint. There's supposedly an abandoned insane asylum somewhere around here, but I'm not sure where and going in alone doesn't seem wise. The people talking about it said that it was used for drug-related activities.
I don't know :) I took another look at the building yesterday (it's on my way to work), and the its foundations still look solid. So, if there is something to collapse, it could be the balconies.
Abandoned asylums are the dream of every urbex photographer :) But I supposed you could get in trouble if you encounter some of those people that sell drugs and stuff.
Thanks for your comment, Mark!
Great job on the photos but I don't know if I would want to get inside that place Dan. Looks intimidating.
I have a broom like that, can't get the thing to lean against the wall without it sliding onto the floor, usually in my way somehow.
Is that effect on the couch photo from the lensbaby?
Hey, man! Thanks a lot :) Such places are like magnets to me - I love exploring them and imagining what life used to be.
Yes and no :) I took all shots with the lensbaby, but my aperture was set to f/4 and f/5.6, and if I wanted to have the glowing effect in the photos, I should have used f/2.8 or below. That said, most of the pictures (including the one with the sofa) are in-camera double exposures :)
Thanks also for the resteem!
It is a great subject for photography as you @irreverent-dan and, like you, I'd be itching to get inside.
It is surprising to hear that people lived there until three-four years ago. Did it go downhill really quickly?
And now I'm going to be hearing that song in my head all afternoon! 😊
Hahah!
I explored a bit more yesterday on the way back from work. They have installed security cameras, unfortunately, so getting inside might not be that easy.
I can't say it was much different 3-4 years ago. I think the stairs were in a better shape and there were no broken windows :)
Hmmm. Well the security cameras add another dimension to it @irreverent-dan.
Maybe just as well if it's all a bit unstable inside! 😁
Super cool! I love these kind of places, they make you want to capture all those gorgeous details. And it was fun for me to practice my Cyrillic so I now know it used to be a Pizzaria ;-)
How come you know the Cyrillic alphabet? :)
Wohoo, so nice that you liked it! I figured I have to focus on the details - a wide angle shots of the building and everything look boring :)
I'm just learning how to use a wide angle shot - and I didn't read how to before and my pictures were so incredibly boring!!! lol. I didn't have a subject in mind, I just wanted to make a photo of a tree for example but I didn't go up close to it so all I have is a long row of boring.
Haha, tell me about it! I don't think wide angle lenses are my thing 😂
I got vertigo from the blurred photos!! lol. Oh, poor me.
Love the last shot...you probably do too! Lines, blur, minimal.
Maybe as @nikv said, there are squatters living in the building? It looks like a dangerous place. Are there plans to tear it down?
Believe me, if there were squatters in there, it would look much, much worse
Oh, noo! I'm sorry :)
I was actually hesitating about uploading that last shot, but then I thought (seriously) that you might like it 😂
I don't think there are any squatters, and as far as I remember, they had plans to renovate it.
I'm glad you did post the last photo - I love it, you're right (even if you were joking about doing it for me).
I was not joking :)
Wow! It does not seem like a safe place ...
Stephen King could write a book in that place 😂 would be inspired.
I like the idea of making some deliberately moved shots.
Oh, yeah! The dorm could make for a great setting for a horror story :) I'm glad that you liked the blurry shots, I think they add to the unsettling feeling.
It seems safe to go and look around inside that dilapidated building @irreverent-dan
It is probably safe, the only problem are the security cameras :) What if I get caught?
Can you contact me on Discord. :) I'm whatsup there also.
Woooooow cool! I need to add you to my list of Steemians I check up on regularly. I love your work.
I almost missed this comment :) Thank you! 😊
Do you like abandoned places?
LOVE them