Deserted Finland

Finishing The Job Part II

It looks like I’ve entered some sort of a break room. I wonder, what the point in ripping off ceiling boards has been. Can’t understand vandalism.

A dark photo of the toilet.

Entering production premises. Just like the old side of the factory, this side is pretty primitive, too. The machinery here looks more modern, though.

I wonder, what this thing has done.

A section of the hall was higher up.

What looks like a small office room.

A tiny and very dirty storage room.

The upper level.

Still no idea what that thing has done.

Whatever it was, it was leading to the strange door seen in one of the external photos earlier.

One more view of the entire machine.

And another, very bad one.

One more look at the small office.

And the falling sheds.

And the small hut I first explored.

I’ve removed the phone numbers and e-mails. You have to look elsewhere in case you are interested in buying an old sawmill.

It’s forbidden to trespass the sawmill area outside of working hours, the sign says.

Well, I’m glad I did it during working hours, despite nobody being here.

This area has now revealed all of its secrets. Time to leave it to the archives and find new locations.

Finishing The Job Part I

Looming behind the ever growing bushes is yet another familiar location. The old sawmill, which I explored way back in 2020, when my Tour de Finlands started.

The reason why I am back, is that I managed to explore the old part of the complex visible in this picture. But there was a newer building, which according to maps was built in the early 1990’s. Back in 2020 it was still unotuched, and there was no way in. I’ve come to see if things have changed.

According to the sheet on the wall, the property is for sale or for rent. Does anybody else think, that that shed up front might collapse soon?

Up front is the building, which was completely intact back in 2020.

But let’s first explore this small building over here.

I do wonder, what its purpose has been.

A board with the sawmill company’s logo. I’ve removed the name because that would reveal the location.

That shed will definitely not last for many more winters.

It looks like they all are a bit tilted.

This is the building, which was intact three years earlier.

As you can see, there isn’t really a single intact window any more.

An unusually low and wide doorway.

The view through the window. Time to hop inside and let this location reveal its final secrets.

A Vanishing Era Of Architecture

Welcome to an all too familiar story. This here is the elementary school of the small former municipality of Kuru. Built in the 1960’s it was abruptly abandoned after Christmas 2022 because of major mold and air quality issues. The kids were moved to temporary premises and planning of a new school started.

Not that I would miss this era of architecture but a couple of years ago one expert pointed out that the schools built in the 1960’s and 1970’s are rapidly vanishing all around Finland. Those were decades when a lot of schools were built and were also the first decades of modern elementary schools. Now there are few examples left.

Once again I wasn’t very hopeful about finding a way in. But I wanted to document the building in case it would be torn down, which I found really probable.

The school was a prime example of 1960’s architecture. Not the most beautiful building on the planet but I could see its point.

A second building. The building behind the school is a sports hall.

There were loads of cameras.

The painting is a really beautiful one!

Abandoned after Christmas, the decorations made by the pupils still remain.

The sports hall is still in use and will remain in use.

The location on the side of a hill may not have helped with the school building’s problems.

The second building. According to aerial photos, it still seems to stand.

Somebody was visiting. I thought I might ask for permission to get inside, but they left before I could ask.

I don’t think I’ll be able to enter.

Christmas candles in the summer.

I was right. No entry. The building was demolished in the spring of 2024, and a new school now is on the lot. It received its first pupils just last week.

Hoarding Properties Part II

Behind the row houses was this magnificent block of flats built for higher ranking railway staff and completed in 1950. It also belongs to the same owner, and it, too has been empty for several years.

A local landmark, it probably is the tallest building in the village.

And its shape is worsening, fast.

No luck here, either.

Hoarding Properties Part I

In rural Finland, there is a village, where railroads to four directions meet. All the way until the 1970’s it was inhabited by thousands of railroaders and their families.

Then new rails were built and the village became obsolete. Since then it has been losing population. Throughout the years the national railway company has sold railroad related buildings and apartments away.

There’s one guy, who buys all of it, but doesn’t take care of it. That’s why historically important buildings rot away in the very heart of the village.

Such as these three row houses.

All identical, gardening was last done in the early 2010’s. Now they’re slowly being taken over by nature.

The windows have been covered with plywood.

The owner lives in the village. Although he keeps the buildings empty, he seems to fix what the vandals break.

No luck with these.

Lakefront Plans Cancelled

The last location that evening was a mental asylum. Built in 1958 and closed in 2016 because they had difficulties attracting competent staff to the small town, it has stood empty ever since. A couple of years ago the town wanted to buy it from the hospital district, demolish it and plan lakefront housing on its beautiful location. The demolition permit was denied.

And empty it stands.

The first views from the low side wing.

And the main buidling.

The main entrance. Power is still on.

A majestic building in my opinion. It deserves something else than demolition.

The complex was actually far larger than could be seen from the front.

The other wing of the building, which was shaped like a flash.

The windows in the wing between them were different.

Balconies.

There’s probably a stairway behind those windows.

The back side.

Light in the window.

The low wing has actually been a separate building. It has been connected to the main complex in the late 1990’s or early 2000’s.

Again a different window setting.

The low wing. The part closest to the camera is newer.

Coats of arms of all the towns and municipalities, which funded the hospital back in the days.

This is probably the original section of the low wing.

Which seems to house a library of some kind.

I’ve now been around the entire complex.

There were staff apartment buildings in the area. They were still very much in use.

Better luck next time.

Not Exactly A Place To Sleep

The night was approaching, and I was starting to look for a parking lot to camp. That is usually, when I start finding interesting things.

That looks like an old farm house.

The window layout was highly unusual.

And all in all the place was in a rather bad condition.

A view through the windows to the veranda.

The first views inside.

One end of the building was a shed for farm machinery.

There was a surprising amount of chairs and sofas inside. Some sheets of paper on the wall indicate, that a group of moose hunters have used the place back in 2008. It has become a hunting lodge at some point.

I guess this has been a nice place to enjoy a drink after a successful hunt.

In the warmth of the fireplace.

They’ve even made coffee here.

It was darker than it looks in the pictures. That’s why they are becoming blurred.

This room was a firewood storage.

One more look at the big living room.

And that’s it, I’m out.

Bought By Mistake Part III

A lot of light switches were at the back of the cafeteria.

Another small kitchen. It looks like the roof or the window is leaking.

Glasses. I wonder, whether that package is rat poison or dishwasher detergent.

A lot of coffee has been made and consumed here.

Interesting cupboard doors. I don’t think I have ever seen any made of wired glass.

Sugar cubes.

This looks like I’ve suddenly teleported to the basement.

Which I probably did. I think I took the stairs in the end of the building and went all the way down. There was nothing to explore, so now I’m back in the cafeteria.

And now I’m in the other end of the building in the stairway, which I used to get upstairs. There’s a locked door at the top. I think there may have been an apartment there.

Looking down the end stairway.

Toilets downstairs, the sign says.

And this here is the middle stairway leading from the cafeteria to what I presumed to be the main entrance.

Which is here.

Toilets in what I believe was the main lobby.

The toilets. The striking red color is again from decades ago.

A comb. Model: old people.

Back in the cafeteria again.

And finally I am downstairs in a corridor with entrances to the business premises.

This is the only one that was accessible. It looks like an office.

And finally outside. The store featured a few posts back can be seen to the right of the picture.

Quite an exploration!

Bought By Mistake Part II

The lobby and café upstairs was what life in Finland looked decades ago. This over here is a real time capsule.

It was almost as if the 1960’s were still here.

That is where people have chosen their sandwiches, buns and cold drinks from.

Moving on to the hall, the heart of the activity in the building.

This was where the life in the village used to be. Even volleyball could be played here.

The stage even allowed concerts and plays to be held here.

There was a small storage room at the back.

I wonder, what all these things have been.

There could be up to 300 people in the room. Or 120, if they were seated. I’ve removed a lot of details from the papers to hide the location of the place.

A better look at the stage.

The stage contained the chairs, which were used by spectators. They sure were original from the 1960’s. The ceiling is also pretty nice!

A view of the hall from the stage.

Going backstage. There has been coffee served to the performers.

There was even an own toilet for the performers.

Moving on to the kitchen behind the cafeteria.

There was even a third stairway in this end of the building.

A view towards the stage from the back.

A small office room.

A phone book from 2003. In reality the place was abandoned long after this.

And so I am back in the cafeteria.

One more post to go from this location.

Bought By Mistake Part I

Just two houses away from the village store was the old association building of the village, which I had photographed from the outside back in 2021. Built by several associations to be used for their activities, the downstairs featured business premises. Originally there had at least been a bank, the last users were a kiosk, a barbershop and even a pharmacy.

This was the former kiosk.

I started circling the house hoping to find a way in this time.

The chimney looked sturdy. The building has probably used oil for heating.

The building was in a pretty bad condition. The facade was starting to fall off.

This is what looks like the main entrance. Notice the broken window.

The entrance has started to grow birches.

As in fact has the entire building.

At this point I heard a dog, and soon enough a lady emerged from the yard of the neighboring house asking what I was doing. I told her the truth. I explained, that I’m an urban explorer touring Finland and photographing abandoned locations and asked about the history of the building.

The neighbour told me, that the building had been bought by a foreign national living in the capital region. He thought that it was in the nearby town and after realizing its location, he just left it. The neighbour said that teenagers regularly broke in, and that’s why she approached me.

“Do you mind if I take a look if I can find a way in”, I asked.

“Try from the other side. That’s where they broke in last”, she replied.