Travel And Tourism

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Hotel Fenno, Vaasa (2015)

A low budget hotel located near the port of Vaasa closed down in 2012 and the owners vanished. I arrived with my camera just before the vandals, who messed up everything. In 2019 the bulldozers stepped in to end the story.

Adventure Park Peukkula, Jyväskylä (2019)

Opened in the late 1990’s, the adventure park attracted up to 30 000 visitors a year. It was closed down in 2015 and decay came quickly.

Ruins of Soso Station, Muhos (2019)

Foundations covered in plants is all that is left from a rural railway station in the middle of nowhere. The station manager and his family were bludgeoned to death with a hammer during a robbery in the 1950’s.

Petrol Station, Grankulla (2020)

Built in the 70’s or 80’s, this petrol station originally wore Esso colours. Between 2007 and 2010 it became a ST1. Abandoned for years it was demolished later in 2020.

Service Station (2020)

Opened in 1991 this service station has hosted many different businesses. It closed down for good early in 2010 and despite numerous plans it’s been quiet ever since.

Hotel Varsavuori, Mikkeli (2020)

A hotel built just outside a regional centre on the shores of Lake Saimaa in 1974. In its first decades it was the main party hub of the town, but this ended way back in 1990. After a few years as a refugee centre, hotel activity was attempted by several actors. They all failed, the place closed down and was demolished in 2022.

Kirkkoharju Sightseeing Tower, Kangasala (2020)

A sightseeing tower with a small café built in the 1930’s. The café remains closed, but a new one has been constructed next to the tower, which is once again open.

Haapamäki Steam Locomotive Park, Keuruu (2020)

A steam locomotive park founded in 1988 near a formerly important railway station. It’s nowadays a popular tourist attraction.

Haapamäki Railway Depot, Keuruu (2020)

An old railway depot nowadays used by two railway heritage organizations, who allowed a visit. The area featured lots of interesting cars and locomotives from the past including the last surviving examples of the DM9 ‘Porkkana’ express train.

Camping Site (2020)

A campground, which enjoyed its greatest years in the 1970’s and 1980’s, when even a ferry line ran there from a nearby town. The company running the place went bankrupt in 2012 and the area is waiting for development. The two buildings photographed have since been demolished.

Shell Service Station, Lusi (2020)

A former Shell service station built in 1964 and closed around 2000. After that it had other uses until finally being abandoned around 2017 or 2018.

Railway Station, Noormarkku (2020)

A railroad station built in the 1930’s and closed in the 1980’s. The track to the main network has since been partly demolished and the station suffered the same fate later in 2020.

Railway Station, Imatra (2021)

Built in 1977 this railway and bus station also housed government and municipal authority offices. The building was too large, in the wrong place and in a bad condition, so most users had moved out. Most of it was empty and it was waiting for demolition.

Hotel Vuoranta, Helsinki (2021)

The education center of the national alcohol monopoly company Alko opened in 1970. The property started to function as a hotel in the early 1990’s and Alko left around 2000. The hotel closed down in 2010 and after being used as a refugee center, the property was abandoned in 2016. The main building has since been renovated into a luxury nursing home.

Pönttövuori Railroad Tunnel, Laukaa (2021)

The longest railroad tunnel until 1964, this 1,2 kilometer long tunnel was built in 1917 and was the second ever in Finland. Replaced in 1995 with a newer, larger and longer one.

Esso Petrol Station (2021)

Built in the 1970’s by one of the main highways in Finland, the business took a big hit in the late 1980’s, when a new motorway was built. The old road became a regional one, but the station sold petrol all the way until 2001 or 2002.

Shell Service Station, Lusi (2021)

A former Shell service station built in 1964 and closed around 2000. After that it had other uses until finally being abandoned around 2017 or 2018. Already featured in a previous gallery, the building was demolished in 2021.

Esso Petrol Station (2021)

Built in the late 1960’s this petrol station by a busy road was apparently closed in 1996. It was vandalized and broken into, but still looked like some sort of a storage.

Railway Station (2021)

A rather large railway station from 1903. The last train stopped here in 2006 and the place remains closed. A new highway plan will potentially result in the demolition of the station.

Service Station, Nurmijärvi (2021)

A former petrol station built in the 1950’s or 1960’s and enlarged at some point. Completely abandoned around mid-2010’s, the building has since been demolished.

Hotel Vuoranta, Helsinki (2022)

An earlier featured hotel and conference center explored again. Featured in this gallery are the accommodation building and pool house. The main building was undergoing renovations at the time.

Camping Trailer, Karjaa (2022)

A late 1980’s or early 1990’s LMC Münsterland Luxus abandoned on a terrain running track parking lot.

Petrol Station (2022)

A former Shell petrol station probably from the late 1950’s. Was still used by car hobbyists as late as in 2019. Date of abandonment unknown.

Camping Site (2022)

A camping site visited earlier in 2020. The restaurant and reception buildings featured in the previous posts were now demolished. This gallery contains photos from the sauna and office buildings.

Railway Station (2022)

A railway station in a small village built in 1889 and closed from traffic in 1988. Probably still serves as a technical space for the line.

Hotel (2022)

A hotel built in 1976 and enlarged in the 1980’s. Once a luxurious party venue and the only hotel in town it was declared bankrupt in 2019. Sold to a fishy real estate owner the place was abandoned and vandalized.

Border Control Station (2022)

Built in 1987 to replace a smaller crossing point it was abandoned in 2006 to be replaced by a larger one. Sold in 2014 to a private investor, who had big plans and nonexistent actions.

Holiday Village (2022)

Originally a former elementary school built in 1950 and closed in 1968, the area has since received new buildings and become a holiday village. Closed in the 2010’s, it seems to have found new use recently.

Holiday Village (2022)

Opened in 1967 this holiday village was hugely popular for a few decades. The decline started in the 1990’s, and the place was abandoned after a Russian owner bought it in 2007.

Siiri The Summer Car, Taivalkoski (2022)

My first summer car, a 1996 Volvo 850 Estate, which I sold for 50 euros when it broke down in the middle of nowhere. Will never move again.

Spa Hotel (2022)

A spa hotel opened in 1968 and closed in 2020 because of the covid pandemic. A buyer has been found, but the sale can’t proceed because the bankrupt owner can’t be reached.

Petrol Station (2022)

A petrol station built in the early 1950’s and closed down since forever. Was partially demolished in 2012 when it was discovered that fuel had been leaking from its tanks for ages.

Railway Station (2022)

A regional railway station built in the 1880’s and closed in 1983. Remains in surprisingly good condition.

Railway Station (2022)

A railway station built in the 1880’s and closed in 1990.

Railway Station (2022)

A 1880’s built railway station closed in 1991.

Service Station (2022)

A service station from the early 1950’s abandoned in the late 2010’s after serving as a junk car dealership.

Motel Restaurant Viidennumero (2022)

This legendary motel and restaurant was opened in 1963, when a new highway between Tampere and Helsinki was built. After it was rerouted in 2000, the business still continued until the late 2010’s, when it was closed for good. The town bought the buildings and demolished them in 2024.