I had been looking at this place for a long time seeking a way in. It was a massive, U-shaped complex on the outskirts of the town, and its latest inhabitant had been a furniture store. The chain was declared bankrupt in 2011, and since then the place had been empty.
It stood there peacefully with surprisingly little vandalism, and finding a way in was quite next to impossible.
The place had been built in the 60’s and enlarged in the 70’s. For decades it had been the headquarters of a large car dealership chain selling nowadays at least Volvos. There had also been a petrol station and some other businesses.
The car dealership had relocated a bit further away from the city centre, and the once so advanced store had been left to look for new tenants. The sofa company had extended its life, and after it left, the building was left to rot. New blocks of flats had been planned on the site, so it was just a question of time, when something would happen.
The fences around the place were quite a good prediction of what was to come. And indeed, two and a half weeks later:
They hadn’t even bothered to remove the logos before they started tearing down the place.
Demolition was progressing at a very rapid speed and all hopes of getting inside to explore were lost.
Another good target had died before I reached it. The only thing I could do was to research history.
And with this post begins a new era in my journey of urban exploration: the era of locked doors, demolition sites, disappointments and eventually a complete loss of passion and interest towards UE photography.