Back in my last high school year (almost 18 years ago, where does time go), I became friends with a girl, who lived in a rural village some 30 minutes from my home town. Our friendship started, when we began a debate about animal rights on our way to our geography class. We then realized that our parents were colleagues.
Although I hadn’t even started photographing abandoned buildings back then, I had told her about my fascination towards them. She even took me to one place back then, although I can’t remember this myself anymore.
When I told her about my Tour de Finland, she said that she knew some places from her home village and told me to give her a call when I would be there. I arrived at 10 am on a Wednesday morning, so surprisingly she wasn’t around. But she told me to drive to her childhood home, where her retired mother was, and would guide me to the places she knew.
I had visited them so many times, that I knew the entire family, and was happy to see the mother again after many years. I expected her to just give me instructions or addresses, but when I arrived, this iron lady in her 70’s just jumps into my car and says “Let’s go!”
The first location wasn’t very far. In fact I had seen it numerous times.
This here is the former dairy processing plant of the village. Built in the 1920’s, it went bankrupt just a bit more than a decade later. After that it has seen multiple uses, the last of which was by some guy, who collected the lot full of junk. In Google Street View from 2009 all kinds of things from cars and buses to combine harvesters can be seen. But now it’s all empty.
It also looks like some modifications have been made during the years.
The view behind the first door.
Only some largish windows left here.
The place was very much in its original shape.
The large, old ovens were used all the way to the end.
There was a lot of old furniture.
This one wasn’t very old. This brand had only been sold for around a year in cans like these.
That’s a lot of wood.
Some of the furniture even looked pretty valuable. This is no wonder. There was a time, during which 80 % of Finland’s furniture of a certain style were manufactured in the area.
A smaller room with a stove.
The tractor wheel probably has something to do with the last owner.
Drawings by somebody. And pretty good drawings, too.
A better look at the by now very rusty stove.
All kinds of boxy things.
Is it just me, or do I seem to see blocked doors everywhere?
There’s one more. That one has been blocked by the locker.
This room looks like another kitchen. This area of the building looks like somebody has lived here.
To be continued.