Abandoned buildings have something incredible about them… On one hand they’re fascinating and intriguing but on the other a bit frightening, goose bumps inducing and scary. When you look at the empty rooms you imagine how they looked 100, 50 or even 10 years ago when they were full of people, life, voices, tasks to do, words to be said. Somebody worked, others rested, someone laughed, others had the worst days of the year. Such places always make my imagination going, always make me wonder. We had a similar sensation when we accidentally arrived in Dom Zdrojowy Nursing Home in Żegiestów last summer or every time we drive Sobieskiego street in Warsaw where, at no. 100 you can see scary buildings of former USRR Embassy abandoned in mid 90s.
We wanted to go for a trip in the footsteps of abandoned buildings a long time ago. This time we got a great opportunity to combine visits to magical and mysterious locations with tests of the new MINI Clubman! When MINI approached us we knew that it’s a perfect project for us! You know we love travelling by car but you may not know that for the last 4 years I’vebeen driving a MINI Clubman too, just the older model than the one we could test and take on our unusual trip.
I quickly realised I also like the newer version! Not only is it more spacious but it’s got 6 doors instead 5.5 in my version 😉 Getting in the backseat is super comfortable and I had no problems putting Maks’ seat there 🙂 Finally! 😉 I’ll tell you more soon, and now… get in the Mini with us and let’s have a trip through the abandoned locations around Warsaw and Łódź! Access to some of them is easy and you can go there, see the place and make your imagination going. But beware: it takes a pro to access some other of them 🙂
MAGICAL ABANDONED PLACES WORTH SEEING:
1) OLD RAILWAY DEPOT – SKIERNIEWICE
Łukasz’s favourite spot. Railway Depot in Skierniewice was the most amazing thing for him on our trip! It works a bit like a museum and you can easily pay a visit, even with your kids.
The place was built in Skierniewice more than 150 years ago. It had its ups and downs depending on the political situation and most popular railway routes. In 1991 it officially closed. Polish Association of Railway Enthusiasts and since 1994 it’s featured in the Register of objects of cultural heritage.
On site you will find various historic trains from the 20th century: locomotives, carts (some nicely renovated). Some of the trains even starred in movies!
Polish Association of Railway Enthusiasts still takes care of the railway depot, and volunteers have been working there for years. We got a tour guide who has been working for the railway depot for the past 20 years! And he knows everything about it!
You can see the hangar for the trains – a perfect place for all fans of Chuggington and Thomas and Friends 🙂 Judging by Łukasz’s reaction, the railway depot is equally attractive for the young and for the older boys.
Address: ul. Łowicka 1 , Skierniewice
More information can be found HERE.
2) STELLA HOSIERY INDUSTRY FACTORY – ŻYRARDÓW
Stella Hosiery Industry Factory was operational until very recent and my mother was quite surprised when I told her that nowadays the place in the abandoned industrial buildings category.
Red Brick typical for industrial buildings. It always reminded me of old factories in Łódź. The place was established years ago – back in the 19th century! First buildings were built in 1870 and the place was expanded in 1890-1910. In those days the hosiery factory in Żyrardów was one of the biggest factories of this kind in the whole Russian Empire! Nowadays you can walk the empty halls and imagine how 1600 people worked here for almost 150 years! The place closed down in 2005! What’s funny, the name Stella came up in 1967 as a result of a contest run among the workers. Did you ever wear their stockings??? 🙂
Reportedly, until recently there were plenty of old furniture, abandoned computers, papers and lots of plastic legs for stockings and thights display waiting for those searching for the past.
When we arrived there on Friday afternoon, the place was closed. But we managed to walk around a little bit and have a peek. The places are empty, quiet with some suggestively knocked over stools that look as if somebody forgot about them leaving in a hurry. Shivers ran down my spine…
Rumour has it that the former factory may soon be transformed into warehouses or lofts. If you hear anything about it, let us know! 🙂
Address: ul. Limanowskiego 47, Żyrardów
3) THE GRANARY OF MODLIN FORTRESS
Seeing the Modlin Fortress closely is not as easy the other abandoned places. The intriguing ruins of the former fortress are located on a picturesque cape near the estuary of Narew river to Vistula. Surrounded by water with a sign before the entrance that says ‘Military area – trespassing prohibited’. We got there after making several calls.. and getting help from Łukasz’s dad. You can also arrange a tour via mail or phone but you really shouldn’t got there without prior arrangements.
Right now the fortress is privately owned. I have to admit that the place looks even better from above – check the pictures here. There’s a view of the Modlin citadel from the fortress’ area. It’s empty and magical.
The building you see in the picture is the former granary of the Modlin fortress. It was built between 1838 and 1844 in neo-renaissance style. It was used both as a silo and as a stronghold. In 1939 the granary was burnt from inside after bombing and after the war demolition works ordered by the communist authorities started. However only the left wing was demolished, the rest is still there.
More information can be found HERE.
4) FENIX GLASSWORKS – PIOTRKÓW TRYBUNALSKI
An old abandoned building with a huge industrial hall – you can easily look inside, walk around, even drive in with your car but it’s nothing like the vibe he Stella factory had.
The glassworks history goes back to 1924 when it was still privately owned. After the war the place was nationalised. In 1968 former Bełchów Plant became part of Fenix Glassworks and it started getting worse and worse ever since. Right now there’s not much to see – this was the least interesting place of our trip.
Address: ul. Przemysłowa, Piotrków Trybunalski
5) JUNKYARD – GRODZISK MAZOWIECKI
Such places are even more fascinating for me than abandoned residential buildings or factories! Junkyard sound mysterious and magical… a bit like the Cemetery of Forgotten Books in Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s ‘The Shadow of the Wind’…
On a plot of land in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, near other plots and regular residential buildings you will find a significant collection of old cars! It looks incredible! Car wrecks, mostly missing some of the parts, headlights, trunks. Abandoned skeletons…. We’re not alone, there are neighbours taking pictures near us… It’s not hard to understand – the place is remarkable!
How did the cars get here??? What’s the story? There’s plenty of information online about this unusual cemetery. What’s interesting all the cars belonged to one person back in the day! Tadeusz Tabencki gathered the cars on the plot in Grodzisk. In the 50s he was the employee of the ministry of transport and a Security Service member. He must have been a real enthusiast of his job and motorisation because there’s a whole lot of cars on the plot!
It’s probably one of the biggest private collections of cars in Poland, maybe in the world too. Reportedly there might have been as much as 200 cars in the heyday of the collection and as many bikes too! Reportedly the collection featured such stars as Porsche, Bugatti and Mercedes cars.
Tabencki died in 1989 and the cars have not moved from their cemetery ever since. After his death nobody protected his collection from thieves who took everything they found useful.
It’s interesting how close is such a unique place! As you can see in the pictures you can easily drive in the plot, walk among the oldies, have a look at them. On the spot, you only meet the wind and other enthusiasts of the magic of abandoned places.
Address: ul. Orląt – Grodzisk Mazowiecki
Some of these places are exceptionally impressive and remarkable. Łukasz love the old railway depot, I think I liked the junkyard the most because I could imagine the owner walking around and taking care of every detail of the cars. How about Stella? Where lots of people used to start work every day until very recently? There’s a lot of places like that. They may be closer than you think. Sometimes it’s worth taking such a trip into the past… It’s a completely different idea for a weekend!:)
We used opuszczone.net and forgotten.pl websites while looking for places to see near Warsaw and Łódź.
*the entry was written in cooperation with MINI
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