Urban Explorer and Photographer Dan Marbaix Takes Stunning Photographs of Abandoned Buildings

Photographer Dan Marbaix is what is known as an "urban explorer." He travels from city to city, exploring abandoned houses, asylums, churches, state buildings and much, much more. He has been arrested over 20 times for his trespassing - and even held at gunpoint - but he refuses to give up his search for things that exist outside of the mundane. You'll see why. Dan wasn't supposed to be in ANY of these places, but you'll be glad he was. Above is an abandoned house in Germany. It's hard to define what exactly makes these pictures so beautiful. Is it the fact that humans have abandoned their dwellings? Or because it seems that life goes on, even when people aren't present? Some places are left in the state they were abandoned in. No matter how many times he has been threatened or arrested, Dan thinks it's all worth it. The Chambre du Commerce in Antwep, Belgium, was erected in 1872 as a reconstruction of a 1531 Stock Exchange. But they aren't fiction.

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Related: Abandoned Places

Beds covered in moss, rubble strewn floors, crumbling German hotel left to rot for more than two decades Inhospitable: London photographer Andre Govia visited the abandoned hotel to capture the decay in a series of haunting pictures Dated: Time seems to have stood still inside the abandoned Plaza Hotel, located in Germany Its majestic dome still directed toward the heavens, now covered in graffiti and left to rust - inside the stunning abandoned astronomical observatory atop a Spanish mountain. Standing 2,605m above sea level in the region of Andalucia, the Mohon del Trigo observatory has been empty for nearly 40 years. The observatory at Mohsn del Trigo was built in 1902 after planners judged the clear skies of the isolated Sierra Nevada mountains to be perfect for stargazing. Solitary: The Mohon del Trigo observatory has stood empty and abandoned for nearly 40 years

19 Magical Photos of Animals In Winter We’ve written about how the world around us changes during the winter, but that’s not the only thing that changes; throughout the animal kingdom, birds and beasts that live in colder climates have special adaptations to help them survive the winter’s harsh weather. The animals in some of these photos may look like they’re freezing, but that’s not 100% certain – in most cases, the photographers are probably colder than the animals that they’ve photographed. Mammals like foxes, cats and other furred critters have to maintain constant body temperatures, so they often accrue stores of body fat and grow additional coats of winter fur to help themselves cope with the cold. These winter coats create an extra layer of insulating air between their skin and the cold air outside, and sometimes even grow in white to help them camouflage themselves in their new environment. Image credits: Roeselien Raimond

One man against all the police Amazing Fire Domino A tower of matches turned into dust in seconds. Snake Massage, Israel Performed in Northern Israel by therapist Ada Barak, a therapeutic snake massage involves having six non-venomous serpents slip and slide down you spine to release your tensions and relieve your aching muscles. The snakes used in the treatment are a mixture of corn snakes, milk snakes and California and Florida King snakes. Heli-rafting, Queenstown, New Zealand

A Rich Woman Abandoned This Apartment In 1942. What They Just Found Inside Is Incredible. Madame de Florian was a French socialite and actress who fled to the south of France during World War II. She kept her apartment in Paris on the Right Bank near the Opéra Garnier, though, in case she wanted to return. However, she never went back to it after the war. Since 1942, the apartment has been sitting untouched, until recently when an auctioneer entered her apartment. What he found was a time capsule, full of treasures.

Photographer Explores Abandoned Italian Ruins And Takes Stunning Photographs (23 pics) 34K views 84 days ago by CriticalMass Italy’s forgotten ruins of a past full of memories. Tell Facebook: Withdraw Your Support For CISPA Tell Facebook: Withdraw Your Support For CISPA What is Facebook thinking? They've signed on in support of CISPA -- the new bill that would obliterate online privacy, give the military crazy new abilities to spy on the Internet, and potentially let ISPs block sites and cut off users accused of piracy. Curtain Call: Photographer Captures Abandoned Theaters’ Decay Thomas Edison School, Pennsylvania. © Julia Solis, 2013 Renowned photographer Julia Solis, best known for capturing haunting pictures of ruined buildings and underground spaces, takes to the stage in her upcoming book Stages of Decay . Her latest endeavor features over 100 breathtaking photographs of abandoned theaters across Europe and the United States (with many unsurprisingly located in the Detroit metropolitan area). Ranging from obscure local community theaters to majestic theaters of yore, her photographs are at once evocative and elegant, paying tribute to the grandeur of the stage while highlighting contemporary issues of urban decay and economic downturn. Click through to see more. Sanitarium, Germany. © Julia Solis, 2013

This Is What Happens When You Blow Soap Bubbles at -9°C (15,8°F) Thanks! Like us on FB for more awesome posts! When the weather forecast announced about the unexpected cold from -9°C to -12°C last week, Washington-based photographer Angela Kelly decided to take an advantage of it in one truly creative way. Together with her 7-year-old son, Kelly combined the home-based remedies – dish soap, karo syrup, and water – and went out to blow bubbles and take pictures as they freeze and melt. Soon the two adventurers found themselves in awe while watching the frost create magical patterns in the freezing bubbles. The smaller ones would freeze momentarily, simply mid-air, and then they would fall down and scatter like thin glass chips.

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