This Screams Abandonment Part II

This seems to be the main lobby of the school. This was also, where the entrance from the street level was to.

Young love, it seems.

Another small room. I’m still a bit puzzled about their purpose.

It seems that I have reched the end of the corridor.

I’m still not any wiser about where I am.

This looks like a small hall.

A dead end.

A one person shower. Very uncommon for schools. Unless this was the gym teacher’s bathroom.

There was even an old elevator.

And yet another small room.

Next I reached a small lobby with some locked doors.

One of them led to the dressing room of the pupils.

The showers with a second entrance to another dressing room. What did they do, shower in turns?

A better look at the showers. The taps are gone.

A stairway with lots of old paper.

Upstairs was another corridor.

And some more dark corners.

Surprisingly enough the school canteen was here.

And so was the gym.

Back in the gym was a small storage room.

Somebody had tried to set the place on fire. Luckily they had only managed to cause a little damage.

Let’s see, what the gym looks like in the following post.

This Screams Abandonment Part I

While sitting in my car Googling, which of the buildings would go first to, I found an article about the closure of the schools in the area. It mentioned one further school, which I previously was unaware about.

The school had been built in the 1960’s and closed in 2012. In 2013 it was announced, that it would be demolished, but then suddenly in early 2014 some Russian guy bought it. He intended to use it for accommodation purposes.

So a 1960’s school closed and set for demolition sold to a Russian with pennies? Nothing, I repeat, nothing screams ‘I am abandoned’ more like a history like this.

The school building itself looked quite interesting. It had been built on a hillside and one end of it resembled stairs.

I told you I was certain about this place.

The architecture of the building was actually pretty stylish for the 1960’s.

Time has stopped. Again.

The yard was full of broken glass and everything growing between the tiles.

Getting inside wasn’t exactly difficult.

Because the ground floor was mostly above the soil and not a basement, I decided to start exploring there.

This looks like the woodworking class. And the school looks like it went through its almost 45 years of operation without a single renovation.

There was all kinds of stuff left – some from the school era, some of the new owner.

The storage room of the woodworking class. Full of emptiness, it seems.

A lot of windows were stored in one corner.

The front of the classroom facing the blackboard.

A dark and uninviting corridor continued underground. This was enough for me.

Time to head up.

The school’s location on the hillside made it a rather strange stairway.

The first floor above the ground featured a side corridor.

And this looks like a former chemistry or physics classroom.

The couch was a surprise, though.

Again all the materials look like they were from the 1960’s. Apart from the tap.

The next room was surprisingly a much smaller one.

As was the following one. I wonder, what the purpose of these has been.

I Said That The List Gets Longer

Same city, another school. I’ve removed its name in order to try to protect it.

Originally this was the main building of a teacher seminar and was built in 1950. It last served as an elementary school until 2015, when the pupils were moved out because of air quality problems. The heating is still on, but the town wants to demolish this one, too.

Again I have to express my disappointment. I think it’s a lovely building.

The seminar also featured a training school. It was demolished back in 2014.

Look up, left and smile, thank you, says the note on the door. I did just that. Nothing forbids photographing on the porch of an abandoned public building.

A bad photo taken through the gym windows shows, that there has been some sort of an art exhibition. As you can see, I am wearing a Deserted Finland shirt. You can buy yours at the store.

No entry. Too bad. I will again need to come back to see, if I make it before the bulldozer.

The Demolition List Gets Longer And Longer

The next familiar location. This old elementary school has been abandoned since at least the 2010’s. It has been on the demolition list of the town for years, but there’s so much to demolish, that it has stayed up.

Despite being abandoned for so long, there hasn’t been much vandalism.

I think the building is wonderful and would really want to get inside.

But the town seems to take care of its property.

The newer school from the early 1960’s. It was closed in 2021, but the heating is still on and the town is looking for a buyer for it.

Only a few windows had been covered.

The building featured some details quite unusual for Finnish buildings.

But like I said, it was a very beautiful building.

The entrance was almost like to a castle.

The books were left behind when the school use ended.

Still no entry. I wonder, how many summers I have left to try before they actually manage to take the school down.

The Dancing Is Over

When I first started urbexing, I was pretty quiet about it. After all, it is basically illegal, although nobody can specify, which law I break, if I don’t break or steal anything. I only came out after ten years or so.

But my current employer has been extremely supportive. They know all about it, in fact most of the construction business in Finland knows all about it. And if I’m able to combine business and pleasure, even that has been encouraged. I am privileged in this way.

Once I came out with Deserted Finland on my private Facebook, my former boss and the editor in chief of my former place of employment asked, if I had photographed a dance pavilion located in a small village. Well, I hadn’t. But now I would.

According to records, it was built in 1968, and closed a long time ago. But of course I went looking for it.

And there it is. It was quite small.

This is probably the former ticket booth.

And behind it was a clear entrance.

The world’s smallest oven. But it has been used to serve customers.

A bottle of denaturized alcohol. A common thing used by alcoholists in the previous decades.

The view from the counter towards the hall.

The pavilion was fairly small.

The narrow bench was probably, where people were waiting for someone to take them dancing. I know a lot of people from this area. Who knows, how many are here because of this location.

It’s around 9.30 pm. The sun is setting behind the windows.

An attempt at capturing the light effect.

The stage was fairly small. But probably some famous bands have performed here anyways.

Or, well. At least some music has been played.

Another look at the place in the summer light.

And the attempt to be artistic.

The counter and the ticket booth. This was very primitive.

And the main entrance, which was well sealed.

A good location. One of the best tips the editor in chief ever gave to me.

Is This Really Supposed To Be In Here?

Again I was looking for something completely different. And ran across a largish building on the verge of collapse.

Ok, it did feature a loading dock and a large door. But that didn’t seem to be the original purpose of it.

The place was in a very bad shape.

The main entrance seemed like that of a public building.

Let’s go have a closer look.

A cloakroom and an old checkout. This wasn’t something that I expected.

Not one checkout. Two of them. And clearly from the same store.

An old scale. But not something, which I had seen in stores. As you can see, all kinds of things are falling from the ceiling.

The checkouts weren’t from just any store. They were from a store by the liquor monopoly Alko. So somebody has closed an Alko somewhere and brought the things here.

There seemed to be a whole lot of other things stored here, too.

The only look towards the great hall of the building. It was so full of stuff, that you couldn’t enter. And the ceiling was hanging dangerously low.

I did a lot of research on this one, and it appears, that it was the house of the local workers’ association. The building appears on maps as an association house, and there were two of them in the village. I also found an association, which matches the description.

But when it was built and when it was abandoned, I have no idea. An how it has been filled with checkouts of Alko, I am less unsure of.

The building still appears on aerial photos but no longer on terrain maps. It may be gone, it may be not.

Making Way For Apartments

This here is a former hospital. Built originally in 1937 and enlarged in 1962 it first was a large regional hospital and after 1988 the city hospital in the area. It later served as an ordinary clinic and was abandoned in 2018 after air quality problems arose.

Since 2018 it has been planned to demolish the newer buildings, preserve the oldest one and build apartments on the site. Most of the buildings in this photo would be demolished. Only the 1937 section, of which a small part can be seen in the left corner of the photo would be preserved.

The main entrance. Let’s see, if there’s anything to explore here.

This is the 1960’s part. Not exactly beautiful, but a prime example of architecture from that era.

A further section closer to the river.

The riverside of things. I wonder, what has been in that low wing with the balcony.

Moving on. The first glimpse of the protected 1930’s hospital building can be seen to the right.

The balconies look like a lot later addition than the 1960’s.

The clock has stopped. It is evening already.

This building has probably originally been the medical superintendent’s house from the 1930’s. The detail plan proposal would allow its demolition.

The more modern auxiliary building has probably served as a legal graffiti wall judging by its current appearance.

It is actually quite fancy.

The protected, 1930’s original hospital, which has been heightened in the 1990’s. This one will be preserved according to plans.

The taller far end of the 1930’s wing will apparently also be restored to its original appearance according to the plans.

One final look at the 1930’s part. The yard seems to be acting as some sort of a storage.

The administrative court overturned the new detail plan in 2024. It’s judgement was, that not detailed enough research had been done on the plan.

So the area is waiting. And so am I.

A Tip From A Friend Part IV

The 1957 school wasn’t the only building on the lot. It was actually fairly common for lightly built extensions to be added to the lots of rural schools in the 1960’s, when smaller schools started to close.

And such an addition was done even here. According to old maps there has even been a new row house built for teachers back then.

Looks like an old computer screen.

And this looks like a complete mess.

Not only does it look like it. It is a complete mess.

Is that a dentist’s chair?

Another room, but the mess just goes on.

A vertical version of the same view.

I wonder, what all this stuff has been here for.

The room was also surprisingly large. Much larger than ordinary classrooms.

An old photo of the kid, looks like the late 1990’s. I’ve blurred the face, but maybe somebody recognizes themselves.

I stand corrected. Three nights to Christmas, 2002.

The room in the other end of the barrack. It was an even worse mess.

The amount of clothes was amazing. The box says summer hats.

Well they don’t look like summer hats.

And what is that cage?

The pile of clothes was even higher in the following room. None of that is useful anymore.

Just look at the pattern of that clothing item.

The mess just continues.

This room was just full of all kinds of clothes.

As the windows had been broken, the mess now has started flowing outside.

The final views from this part of the school.

The old main school was seriously damaged by fire in the spring of 2024. As there probably was no electricity, the reason was probably arson.

According to terrain maps, there is no longer a building on that spot. I’ll have to wait for next summer’s aerial photos to see, if the ruins really have been demolished. This newer addition still seems to stand, though.

A Tip From A Friend Part III

Entering the second apartment. There was even a toilet here.

The living room.

Another room.

And the following one. Interestingly enough they formed a chain.

Back in the previous room. I am once again very satisfied with this picture.

The kitchen. This one was also pretty much in its original 1950’s shape.

Cracks have started to form.

A bedroom, with the original cupboards.

Let’s move up the stairs then.

Two doors up front.

The other one was the attic.

Which seems to have been an ordinary storage space. There also seems to be an original school desk from the early years of the place.

A look back downstairs. The Chernobyl impression still stands.

The other door upstairs led surprisingly to a third apartment.

The toilet was smashed. As usual.

This apartment was smaller than the others. But even this one was in its original 1950’s shape.

It was just one room and a kitchen. With a long corridor.

And so I am back outside. But this was just the first part of the school.

A Tip From A Friend Part II

So the basement featured a small corridor. Let’s see, what’s behind that door.

Another classroom it is. It looks like a jungle gym has been on the wall. This must be the former gym of the school.

But there also seems to have been a blackboard. So this room has served several purposes.

This looks like another entrance is behind the drying cabinet.

The main switchboard seems pretty rusty.

And this is where I find the school’s kitchen.

It was extremely small. But probably it has made food in the space that was available.

Moving a few steps up there was a basement.

Well, it was not very interesting. I didn’t go further.

So, moving back up.

And back through the side corridor.

And through the main entrance.

I suppose this is where the teacher apartments are.

But the entrance there must be on the other side.

And there it is.

A-ha.

Inside the first apartment. But what the fuck is that pile.

A second look at the pile, it seems.

Probably the bedroom.

And another room. This school featured generously spacy apartments.

The kitchen. It was in its original, 1950’s appearance.

But it was large.

There was a stairway. But I’m not going up yet, just to the other apartment in this wing.