Map - The Bohemian Blog

Skeletons of Utopia: The Story of Shumen’s Central City Square

When Bulgarian architects high on Le Corbusier run out of money halfway through building utopia.

Architecture Bulgaria

Nagorno-Karabakh: Exploring the Unrecognised Republic of Artsakh

Monuments, tanks and ghost towns.

Military Nagorno-Karabakh

Room 202: Hunting for Ghosts at Winnipeg’s Fort Garry Hotel

Three nights in Canada's most haunted hotel room.

Canada Dark Tourism

Holidays in Abkhazia

Sun, sea & Soviet architecture in the unrecognised Republic of Abkhazia.

Abkhazia Travel

Ciudad Nuclear: Exploring Cuba’s Half-Abandoned ‘Nuclear City’

The Caribbean Pripyat.

Architecture Cold War

Catastrophic Kitsch: The Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum

Gas masks, glitter and ghosts.

Chernobyl Dark Tourism

Soviet Monuments in Armenia

Propaganda, genocide, and the politics of memory.

Architecture Armenia

Laguna Vere: Tbilisi’s Abandoned Soviet-era Sports Complex

Laguna Vere in Tbilisi, Georgia, was once the premier aquatic sports centre in the Caucasus.

Architecture Georgia

Life in the High-Rise: My Brutalist Holiday in Belgrade’s Genex Tower

A meditation on Brutalism, the occult & J. G. Ballard.

Architecture Psychogeography

Novi Beograd: The Modernist Architecture of a Yugoslav Utopia

The Modernist towers, high-rises and extraordinary Brutalist blocks of 'New Belgrade.'

Architecture Serbia

Vila Rebar: Exploring the Secret Tunnels of a Croatian Dictator

The abandoned former home of Ante Pavelić – the man they called the ‘Butcher of the Balkans.’

Croatia Dark Tourism

Inside Naypyidaw: The Truth About Myanmar’s ‘Ghost City’ Capital

A weekend in the bizarre new Burmese capital.

Architecture Ghost Town

The Pyramid, Bunkers & Purple Concrete of Communist Albania

An introduction to the totalitarian architecture of Tirana, Albania.

Albania Architecture

Dark Tourism in Malaysia: Penang War Museum & its Haunted History

Fact and fantasy collide at the Penang War Museum in Malaysia.

Dark Tourism Malaysia

Midwinter Minsk: Soviet Socialist Modernism in Belarus

Getting lost in the Soviet architecture of a Belarusian Winter Wonderland.

Architecture Belarus

The Bad Place: Slime & Foreboding at the Grmeč Spomenpark in Bosnia

The abandoned Yugoslav monument where toads go to die.

Architecture Bosnia

Postcards from Kupari: Visiting Croatia’s ‘Bay of Abandoned Hotels’

One afternoon, five abandoned Yugoslav-era hotels.

Architecture Croatia

Kyiv’s Hidden Secrets

Exploring the tunnels, drains, lost places & underground rivers of the Ukrainian capital.

Drains Infrastructure

Fidel Castro & the Curious Case of Freemasonry in Cuba

Hammer, sickle, square and compass.

Architecture Cemetery

Hunting for Pokémon in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Digital psychogeography & the gamification of dark tourism.

Bulgaria Dark Tourism

Syrians of Metelkova: Street Art & Refugees in a Slovenian Commune

Drinking beer with the victims of ISIS at an autonomous commune in Ljubljana.

Party Slovenia

Urban Exploration in Saudi Arabia: An Interview with WATA

The risks and rewards of trespass in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Interview Saudi Arabia

Myth & Memory in the Balkans: The ‘Spomeniks’ of Former Yugoslavia

37 monuments in 30 days, and what I learned along the way.

Architecture Spomenik

After the Siege: What I Learned in 18 Hours of Sarajevo War Tourism

Meeting the survivors of the longest siege in modern military history.

Bosnia Dark Tourism

House of Revolution at Nikšić, Montenegro (Marko Mušič, 1976-Unfinished).

Nikšić House of Revolution: Death & Rebirth in the Ruins of Yugoslavia

A visit to the abandoned Nikšić House of Revolution.

Architecture Montenegro

A Day Trip to Daksa: Visiting Croatia’s ‘Island of Ghosts’

The abandoned island that Dubrovnik wants to forget.

Cemetery Croatia

Climbing All Over the Massive Modernist Architecture of Cuba

Concrete and daiquiris on a tour of Havana's big, bold, brutalist beauties.

Architecture Cuba

Skopje’s ‘Colourful Revolution’: Fighting Tyranny with Street Art

A glimpse at the ridiculously photogenic revolution happening in Macedonia right this minute.

Architecture Macedonia

Nuclear Tourism: Exploring the Unfinished Chernobyl Reactors

Contemplating 'disaster tourism' inside Reactors 5 & 6 of the Chernobyl Power Plant.

Architecture Chernobyl

Inside Battersea Power Station

The unofficial tour of a London icon.

Architecture Industrial

Getting Lost in the Forests & Folklore of North Kazakhstan

Myth and misadventure on a hiking trip to Burabay National Park.

Folklore Kazakhstan

Skrunda-1: Exploring a Soviet Ghost Town in the Forests of Latvia

Now left abandoned for 15 years, this secret city once guarded a key Soviet radar facility.

Architecture Cold War

A Field of Blackbirds: Dark Tourism in Kosovo’s Former Conflict Zones

Visiting battlefields, monuments & political flashpoints, 15 years after the end of the Kosovo War.

Dark Tourism Kosovo

The Mystical Origins of the Kukeri: Bulgaria’s Strangest Folk Festival

Sun gods, mystery cults, ancient initiations... this bizarre festival is older than you might think.

Bulgaria Folklore

WMDs in the Florida Keys: The Abandoned Nike Missile Site HM-40

Alligators and urban exploration on my first trip to the US of A.

Cold War Military

Storming the Bastille: A Look Inside Romania’s Doftana Prison

Exploring the abandoned prison where a Romanian dictator once languished in solitary confinement.

Architecture Museum

Cuba’s Revolutionary Trail: From Che Guevara to the Missile Crisis

Exploring the story of Cuba... as told by its battlefields, monuments & museums.

Cold War Cuba

Yaks, Monks & Nomads: A Road Trip Through the Tibetan Plateau

Visiting Buddhist monasteries in the remote grasslands of the Tibetan Amdo region.

China Nature

Welsh Alchemy

An allegorical journey through the mountains and mine shafts of North Wales.

Architecture Caves & Mines

Beneath the Velvet: Examining the Scars of Communism in Prague

The physical legacy of the Czechoslovak Communist Party.

Architecture Czech Republic

The Hill of Crosses: A Monument to Lithuanian Defiance

A unique pilgrimage site, which survived centuries of oppression under Imperial and Soviet rule.

Dark Tourism Lithuania

The Ruins of Daugavpils Fortress: A Little Piece of Russia in the Baltics

Peeling back the layers of history at an abandoned Soviet military school in Latvia.

Architecture Cold War

In the Belly of Byzantium: The Subterranean Spaces of Istanbul

Underground tourism amongst the ruins of the Byzantine capital.

Architecture Infrastructure

An Occult Psychogeography of Hawksmoor’s London Churches

The ultimate conspiracy theory tour – starring Boadicea, Jack the Ripper and Pharaoh Ramesses II.

Architecture Cemetery

MiGs, Stars & Magic Books: A Brief History of Trespassing in Moscow

An illustrated guide to urban exploration in the Russian capital.

Architecture Cold War

Tropic Blunder: Three Tales of Exotic Non-Adventure

Why the Dominican Republic, Singapore and the Bahamas are my least favourite places in the world.

Bahamas Dominican Republic

RAF Upper Heyford: Chasing Cold War Ghosts in Rural Oxfordshire

A tour through the remnants of the former largest fighter base in Europe.

Cold War Ghost Town

From Serbia With Love: Belgrade’s Abandoned Sugar Factory

Rust, grime and a few surprises inside a 19th century Serbian sugar mill.

Industrial Serbia

The Ancient Ram Inn: A Visit to ‘England’s Most Haunted House’

Poltergeists, ritual murder & a live-in succubus – the 1000-year-old pub with a ghostly reputation

Dark Tourism Supernatural

Inside Objekt 221: An Abandoned Soviet Stronghold in the Crimea

Deep beneath a Crimean mountain lurks a derelict nuclear facility that died with the Cold War.

Cold War Military

The Socialist Street Parties of Cuba, North Korea & The Former-USSR

Because no one throws a street party like the Communist Party.

Cuba Military

Alexandra Palace: Place-Hacking An Abandoned Victorian Theatre

Spatial politics, an abandoned theatre, and a midnight climb to the rooftops of North London.

Architecture London

Encountering Haitian Vodou: Le Grand Cimetière of Port-au-Prince

I went looking for Haitian vodou… but amongst the rituals and refugees of the Grand Cemetery, I fo

Cemetery Dark Tourism

Urban Exploration in Manchester: Rooftops, Drains & Arches

A tale of ropes, waders and security run-ins, on one wild night in the Northern Capital.

Drains Infrastructure

A Moldavian Massacre: Exploring The Ruins of The Chisinau Ghetto

From the former ghetto to an abandoned synagogue at the heart of Europe’s largest Jewish cemetery.

Cemetery Dark Tourism

Dark Tourism in Turkey: Visiting The Tombs of Istanbul

What Turkish cemeteries tell us about Florence Nightingale, Freemasonry and the Ottoman Caliphate.

Cemetery Dark Tourism

Five Abandoned Churches & A Cellar Full of Skulls

A detailed look at six religious ruins, scattered across Romania, Bulgaria, Kosovo and the UK.

Bulgaria Dark Tourism

The Coral Castle: Masonic Mystery in the Sunshine State

The thousand-ton folly of a Latvian eccentric, who claimed to know the secrets of the pyramids.

Architecture Freemasonry

The Scorched Remains of Hong Kong’s Abandoned Fire Station

Cosplay and metaphysics, on a visit to Hong Kong's most ironic urban ruin.

Hong Kong Rooftops

Hunting for Crocodiles in Bristol’s Dreadnought Drain

After a reported crocodile sighting in Bristol, I ventured down into the sewers for a closer look.

Drains Infrastructure

Homeless in Havana: How a Travel Disaster Showed Me the Real Cuba

Arriving in Cuba alone, with no money and no plan, was more fun than you might expect.

Cuba Travel

Bone Churches of Bohemia: The Sedlec Ossuary at Kutná Hora

A 15th century Czech chapel decorated with more than 40,000 human skeletons.

Czech Republic Dark Tourism

What it’s Like to Spend 32 Hours in The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Ghost towns, radiation & the ethics of ruin lust.

Chernobyl Dark Tourism

The Soviet Legacy: Inside Cuba’s Unfinished Nuclear Power Station

Crabs, bats and communists, in Cuba's greatest Soviet souvenir.

Architecture Cold War

The Confectioner’s Dungeon: A Brief History of the King’s Cross Ice Well

A beautifully preserved Victorian ice well, hidden for more than a century beneath central London.

London UK

Welcome to No Man’s Land: Urban Exploration in Transnistria

It doesn't get any more off-the-grid than urban exploration in a country that doesn't exist.

Industrial Moldova

London Asunder: Six Tales of Urban Infiltration

London as you’ve never seen it before: exploring the hidden infrastructure of the British capital.

Architecture Infrastructure

Exploring Crimea’s Secret Soviet Sub Base: Balaklava Naval Museum

Take a tour through a once-secret, Soviet nuclear submarine base – at Balaklava, on the Crimean Pe

Cold War Museum

Dark Tourism in the Ruins of Melbourne’s Pentridge Prison

Discover the gruesome history of the abandoned Pentridge Prison in Melbourne, Australia.

Australia Prison

Is this Abandoned Sports Hall the Olympic Venue that History Forgot?

The abandoned sports hall in Bulgaria that's rumoured to be an unused Olympic venue.

Architecture Bulgaria

Infiltrating England’s Dark Satanic Mills

A trip to London's Royal Docks, to explore a decayed skeleton of the industrial revolution: Millenni

Industrial London

Getting Under the Skin of Kangbashi: China’s Ghost City

A tour of China's "Ghost City": urban exploration in Ordos, the largest ghost town on the planet.

Architecture China

Welcome to Ordos, China: The World’s Largest “Ghost City”

Take a tour of China's "Ghost City": Ordos in Inner Mongolia.

Architecture China

Bucharest’s Abandoned Train Yard

Nothing but a dirty old rust bucket of Romanian train-wreck porn.

Romania Trains

Flashlights and Spider Bites in Melbourne’s Maze Drain

The 'Maze Drain': one of Melbourne's largest underground waterways & home to hordes of venomous spid

Australia Drains

Avtomorga: Rust & Snow

A winter visit to a scrapyard, transformed into beautiful & bizarre shapes by the drifting snow.

Bulgaria Urban Exploration

Underneath England: The Godstone Main Series Mine

Exploring the Godstone Main Series Mine: a firestone quarry beneath Surrey, England.

Caves & Mines UK

The Ghost Villas of Hong Kong

A cheeky little tale of urban exploration around the abandoned apartments of Causeway Bay.

Architecture China

The Ilinden Spomenik: Macedonia’s Space-Age Monument to Freedom

Exploring the history & symbology of the Ilinden Spomenik in Krusevo, Macedonia.

Architecture Macedonia

Cemetery of the Greatest Sage: Searching for the Tomb of Confucius

A visit to the Confucius Temple and the Cemetery of the Greatest Sage in Qufu, China.

Cemetery China

Sneaking into an Abandoned Soviet Circus in Moldova

A tour of an abandoned Soviet Circus: forgotten rings & headless clowns in the former USSR.

Architecture Moldova

Rooftops & Fireworks in Kosovo

Rooftopping in Pristina, during the 2013 Kosovo Elections.

Architecture Kosovo

Meanwhile, in Pristina: The Kosovo Elections

An inside look at the 2013 Kosovo Elections - and why you should choose Pristina as your next holida

Kosovo Travel

A Tour of the World’s Largest Labyrinth: The Odessa Catacombs

Exploring the world’s largest network of underground tunnels.

Caves & Mines Folklore

Picnic at Hanging Rock: Retracing an Australian Murder Mystery

An attempt to recreate the famous mystery novel goes wrong – leaving us at the mercy of the kangar

Australia Dark Tourism

On Smoking Weed in North Korea

How I ended up getting stoned with an officer from the DPRK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Drugs North Korea

Transnistria: What it’s Like to Visit a Post-Soviet ‘Frozen Conflict’ Zone

Last remnants of the USSR: the unrecognised Soviet Socialist Republic of Transnistria.

Architecture Dark Tourism

The Sultan’s Powerhouse: Santral Elektrik in Istanbul

A museum tour of Silahtarağa Power Station, Turkey's first coal-burning electric power plant.

Industrial Museum

The Electric Warrior: A Pilgrimage to Marc Bolan’s Rock Shrine

A visit to the Marc Bolan Rock Shrine in London, dedicated to the deceased frontman of T. Rex.

Dark Tourism London

The Asian Oktoberfest: Qingdao International Beer Festival

A visit to Qingdao International Beer Festival, complete with gunfights, edible insects, and… beer

China Music

London’s Magnificent Seven: Brompton Cemetery

London’s Brompton Cemetery is the 6th of the ‘Magnificent Seven’, a series of Victorian burial

Cemetery Dark Tourism

A Visit to Rason, North Korea During the 2013 “Korean Crisis”

A behind-the-scenes account of the 2013 Korean Crisis, and the North Korean perspective on current t

Dark Tourism Military

London’s Secret Waterways: The Lost River Effra

A visit to London Below, and the subterranean waterways of the Lost River Effra.

Drains Infrastructure

Visiting the Auschwitz Concentration Camp

The Auschwitz Concentration Camp & Auschwitz II-Birkenau Extermination Camp, at Oświęcim, Poland.

Dark Tourism Poland

Under the Bridge

Braving the spiders, sweat and pigeon shit to explore the infrastructure of a historic Australian br

Australia Infrastructure

No Leaf Clover: Walking an Abandoned Train Tunnel

Exploring unfinished communist-era train tunnels beneath the hills of Bulgaria.

Bulgaria Trains

Wang Saen Suk Hell Garden: A Glimpse of the Buddhist Underworld

Take a guided tour into the bowels of Buddhist Hell, at the Wang Saen Suk Hell Garden in Thailand.

Dark Tourism Folklore

The Strange and Tragic History of Bulgaria’s Cape Kaliakra

Cape Kaliakra is a beautiful peninsula near Balchik, Bulgaria, which hides a bloody history.

Bulgaria Dark Tourism

Brewer’s Droop: A Risky Climb in Melbourne’s Yorkshire Brewery

The Yorkshire Brewery is a crumbling Victorian tower, once the tallest building in Melbourne, Austra

Architecture Australia

Extreme Dining: The Devil’s Kitchen

Located in Qingdao, China, the restaurant ‘Sichuan Outside Sichuan’ serves Szechuan Cuisine fit

China Food

Zhongshan Bunkers: Military Tunnels Under Qingdao

Searching for a network of German military tunnels, hidden beneath Zhongshan Park in Qingdao, China.

China Military

Old Melbourne Gaol: Death Masks & The Art of Hanging

Australia’s Old Melbourne Gaol is notorious for its death masks, gallows & connection with outlaw

Australia Dark Tourism

Don’t Forget Your Past: The Fate of Buzludzha

Repairs begin at the ‘House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party’, on Mount Buzludzha. New

Architecture Bulgaria

Chollima Speed: Taking a Ride on North Korea’s Pyongyang Metro

North Korea’s Pyongyang Metro is the world’s most secretive subway. This report visits 5 metro s

Architecture Infrastructure

Wonderland: China’s Abandoned Theme Park

China's Wonderland - an abandoned Disney-style amusement park near Beijing.

Architecture China

Welcome to the DMZ: Touring the Korean Demilitarized Zone

The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is the world’s most militarized border. This is a tour from No

Dark Tourism Military

Rooftopping in Hong Kong

Climbing to the roof of a 60-storey hotel, for a better view of the spectacular Hong Kong skyline.

China Hong Kong

Looking for the Cave Clan in Melbourne’s ANZAC Drain

The ANZAC Drain in Melbourne, Australia, is home to ‘The Chamber’ - meeting place of the Cave Cl

Australia Drains

Larundel Hospital: An Abandoned Mental Asylum in Melbourne

Investigating supernatural goings-on at the abandoned Larundel Mental Asylum in Melbourne, Australia

Asylum Australia

Gas Masks & Graffiti: A Derelict Furniture Factory in Bulgaria

The abandoned Sava Ganchev factory: artistic graffiti & a dungeon full of gas masks.

Bulgaria Industrial

The Fall of Siam & the Lost Temples of Ayutthaya

The Temples of Ayutthaya, Thailand, tell the fascinating history of ancient Siam and its mysterious

Dark Tourism Religion

To Beijing Below: Chairman Mao’s Forbidden Undercity

Beneath the streets of Beijing, China, lies an underground city designed to house 6,000,000 people.

China Military

The Fortifications of Bucharest: Leordeni Fort № 10

The Leordeni 10 Fort is one of the 18 abandoned Fortifications of Bucharest, Romania.

Romania Underground

Astana: The Illuminati Capital of Kazakhstan

Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, is a futuristic city of symbols - with rumoured links to Freemasonry,

Architecture Curiosities

End of the Line: Abandoned Train Yards in the Snow

Abandoned train station in the Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria. Ticket halls, tracks & rusted cranes.

Bulgaria Trains

The Ancient Capital: Kaesong, North Korea

Kaesong is the ancient capital of the Koryo Dynasty, and one of North Korea’s most popular cultura

Folklore Museum

German Military Tunnels Beneath the Misty Mountains of China

Forgotten German military tunnels under Mount Fu just outside Qingdao, China.

China Military

Bran Castle: A Tour of Count Dracula’s Transylvanian Lair

A visit to Romania’s Bran Castle - aka ‘Dracula’s Castle’ - and a look at the real ‘Vlad t

Dark Tourism Folklore

Sathorn Unique: How I Failed to Infiltrate Bangkok’s “Ghost Tower”

Urban exploration in Bangkok’s 50-storey, abandoned ‘ghost tower’.

Architecture Thailand

Camp Cthulhu: The Nightmare World of Lenin’s Young Pioneers

A visit to a Soviet Young Pioneer children’s camp lying forgotten in a forest near Moscow.

Architecture Russia

A Sunday Morning Rooftop Infiltration

A lazy Sunday morning on the rooftops of a Bulgarian shopping centre.

Bulgaria Rooftops

Ryugyong Hotel: The Curious Story of North Korea’s “Hotel of Doom”

Planned as the world’s tallest hotel, the unfinished Ryugyong towers over Pyongyang, North Korea.

Architecture North Korea

Dark Tourism: The Bridge on the River Kwai

A visit to Thailand’s Bridge on the River Kwai & JEATH War Museum - riding the Thai-Burma Death Ra

Dark Tourism Military

Dead Satellites: Exploring Abandoned USSR Radar Sites

Chasing Cold War ghosts in a forest near Moscow, Russia. Abandoned satellite arrays & radar dishes.

Cold War Military

The Burns Centre: A Vast Unfinished Hospital in Kiev

This vast complex was once designed to be the largest hospital & burns centre in Kiev, Ukraine.

Hospital Ukraine

Exploring an Abandoned Cold War Bunker in Bulgaria

A Cold War bunker beneath the Park-Monument of the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship in Varna, Bulgaria.

Bulgaria Cold War

The Descent: A Caving Disaster at St. Vincent’s Well, Bristol

A doomed descent into the cave known as St Vincent’s Well – Bristol, UK.

Caves & Mines UK

Systo Palty: Russia’s Baltic Rave Circus

Systo Palty is an annual trance & world music festival held near Saint Petersburg.

Music Party

A Tourist in Pyongyang: My First Impressions on Visiting North Korea

A guided tour of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Old-fashioned hospitality in the communist D

Architecture Dark Tourism

Urban Exploration in Ukraine: Deep in the Drains of Kiev

Beneath Kiev, Ukraine, there lies a complex network of Soviet storm drains, tunnels & mines.

Drains Ukraine

The Rooftops of Kiev: Climbing a Shard of Concrete

Climbing up the abandoned tower of an unfinished skyscraper in Kiev, Ukraine.

Architecture Rooftops

An Abandoned School in the Mountains of Bulgaria

In the Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria, this socialist school lies abandoned & haunted by the past.

Bulgaria Urban Exploration

Urban Exploration: Inside the Ruins of a Soviet-Era Glass Factory

This abandoned Soviet Glass Factory in the mountains of Bulgaria is a monument to failed industry.

Bulgaria Industrial

Ashes to Ashes: The Burnt Shell of a Former Embassy

The burned-out ruins of a once grand town house in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria Urban Exploration

Mount Buzludzha: Bulgaria’s Communist Party Headquarters

Formally known as the House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party, the monument at Buzludzha Pea

Architecture Bulgaria

Forgotten Ghost Towns of the Balkans

In a remote corner of the Balkan Mountains, there stands a forgotten village with no name. At an alt

Bulgaria Ghost Town

Beachfront Adventures: Winter at the Resort

Winter-time infiltration of the closed-down bars & restaurants along Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.

Bulgaria Urban Exploration

Exploring an Abandoned Monument to the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship

The Monument to the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship, sometimes simply referred to as the Russian Monumen

Architecture Bulgaria

The Fallen Restaurant: Exploring a Ruin with a View

This abandoned restaurant hangs from the cliffs above Bulgaria's Black Sea coast.

Bulgaria Urban Exploration

Pobiti Kamani: Bulgaria’s Stone Forest

Pobiti Kamani is a unique geological phenomenon which has perhaps no parallel to be found anywhere i

Bulgaria Curiosities

The Broken Bricks of an Unfinished Holiday Park

On Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, there lies a popular resort town known as Golden Sands. This modern

Bulgaria Urban Exploration

Urban Exploration: The Old Milk Factory

Exploring the derelict remains of a creamery and bottling plant in Southwest England.

Industrial UK

The Old Orphanage: A Derelict Children’s Hospital in the Balkans

High up in the Bulgarian Balkans, this abandoned orphanage dates back to the communist era.

Bulgaria Hospital

Inside an Abandoned Mental Hospital

Urban Exploration: an abandoned mental hospital & asylum in Southwest England.

Asylum UK

Skeletons of Utopia: The Story of Shumen’s Central City Square

When Bulgarian architects high on Le Corbusier run out of money halfway through building utopia.

Architecture Bulgaria

Nagorno-Karabakh: Exploring the Unrecognised Republic of Artsakh

Monuments, tanks and ghost towns.

Military Nagorno-Karabakh

Room 202: Hunting for Ghosts at Winnipeg’s Fort Garry Hotel

Three nights in Canada's most haunted hotel room.

Canada Dark Tourism

Holidays in Abkhazia

Sun, sea & Soviet architecture in the unrecognised Republic of Abkhazia.

Abkhazia Travel

Ciudad Nuclear: Exploring Cuba’s Half-Abandoned ‘Nuclear City’

The Caribbean Pripyat.

Architecture Cold War

Catastrophic Kitsch: The Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum

Gas masks, glitter and ghosts.

Chernobyl Dark Tourism

Soviet Monuments in Armenia

Propaganda, genocide, and the politics of memory.

Architecture Armenia

Laguna Vere: Tbilisi’s Abandoned Soviet-era Sports Complex

Laguna Vere in Tbilisi, Georgia, was once the premier aquatic sports centre in the Caucasus.

Architecture Georgia

Life in the High-Rise: My Brutalist Holiday in Belgrade’s Genex Tower

A meditation on Brutalism, the occult & J. G. Ballard.

Architecture Psychogeography

Novi Beograd: The Modernist Architecture of a Yugoslav Utopia

The Modernist towers, high-rises and extraordinary Brutalist blocks of 'New Belgrade.'

Architecture Serbia

Vila Rebar: Exploring the Secret Tunnels of a Croatian Dictator

The abandoned former home of Ante Pavelić – the man they called the ‘Butcher of the Balkans.’

Croatia Dark Tourism

Inside Naypyidaw: The Truth About Myanmar’s ‘Ghost City’ Capital

A weekend in the bizarre new Burmese capital.

Architecture Ghost Town

The Pyramid, Bunkers & Purple Concrete of Communist Albania

An introduction to the totalitarian architecture of Tirana, Albania.

Albania Architecture

Dark Tourism in Malaysia: Penang War Museum & its Haunted History

Fact and fantasy collide at the Penang War Museum in Malaysia.

Dark Tourism Malaysia

Midwinter Minsk: Soviet Socialist Modernism in Belarus

Getting lost in the Soviet architecture of a Belarusian Winter Wonderland.

Architecture Belarus

The Bad Place: Slime & Foreboding at the Grmeč Spomenpark in Bosnia

The abandoned Yugoslav monument where toads go to die.

Architecture Bosnia

Postcards from Kupari: Visiting Croatia’s ‘Bay of Abandoned Hotels’

One afternoon, five abandoned Yugoslav-era hotels.

Architecture Croatia

Kyiv’s Hidden Secrets

Exploring the tunnels, drains, lost places & underground rivers of the Ukrainian capital.

Drains Infrastructure

Fidel Castro & the Curious Case of Freemasonry in Cuba

Hammer, sickle, square and compass.

Architecture Cemetery

Hunting for Pokémon in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Digital psychogeography & the gamification of dark tourism.

Bulgaria Dark Tourism

Syrians of Metelkova: Street Art & Refugees in a Slovenian Commune

Drinking beer with the victims of ISIS at an autonomous commune in Ljubljana.

Party Slovenia

Urban Exploration in Saudi Arabia: An Interview with WATA

The risks and rewards of trespass in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Interview Saudi Arabia

Myth & Memory in the Balkans: The ‘Spomeniks’ of Former Yugoslavia

37 monuments in 30 days, and what I learned along the way.

Architecture Spomenik

After the Siege: What I Learned in 18 Hours of Sarajevo War Tourism

Meeting the survivors of the longest siege in modern military history.

Bosnia Dark Tourism

Nikšić House of Revolution: Death & Rebirth in the Ruins of Yugoslavia

A visit to the abandoned Nikšić House of Revolution.

Architecture Montenegro

A Day Trip to Daksa: Visiting Croatia’s ‘Island of Ghosts’

The abandoned island that Dubrovnik wants to forget.

Cemetery Croatia

Climbing All Over the Massive Modernist Architecture of Cuba

Concrete and daiquiris on a tour of Havana's big, bold, brutalist beauties.

Architecture Cuba

Skopje’s ‘Colourful Revolution’: Fighting Tyranny with Street Art

A glimpse at the ridiculously photogenic revolution happening in Macedonia right this minute.

Architecture Macedonia

Nuclear Tourism: Exploring the Unfinished Chernobyl Reactors

Contemplating 'disaster tourism' inside Reactors 5 & 6 of the Chernobyl Power Plant.

Architecture Chernobyl

Inside Battersea Power Station

The unofficial tour of a London icon.

Architecture Industrial

Getting Lost in the Forests & Folklore of North Kazakhstan

Myth and misadventure on a hiking trip to Burabay National Park.

Folklore Kazakhstan

Skrunda-1: Exploring a Soviet Ghost Town in the Forests of Latvia

Now left abandoned for 15 years, this secret city once guarded a key Soviet radar facility.

Architecture Cold War

A Field of Blackbirds: Dark Tourism in Kosovo’s Former Conflict Zones

Visiting battlefields, monuments & political flashpoints, 15 years after the end of the Kosovo War.

Dark Tourism Kosovo

The Mystical Origins of the Kukeri: Bulgaria’s Strangest Folk Festival

Sun gods, mystery cults, ancient initiations... this bizarre festival is older than you might think.

Bulgaria Folklore

WMDs in the Florida Keys: The Abandoned Nike Missile Site HM-40

Alligators and urban exploration on my first trip to the US of A.

Cold War Military

Storming the Bastille: A Look Inside Romania’s Doftana Prison

Exploring the abandoned prison where a Romanian dictator once languished in solitary confinement.

Architecture Museum

Cuba’s Revolutionary Trail: From Che Guevara to the Missile Crisis

Exploring the story of Cuba... as told by its battlefields, monuments & museums.

Cold War Cuba

Yaks, Monks & Nomads: A Road Trip Through the Tibetan Plateau

Visiting Buddhist monasteries in the remote grasslands of the Tibetan Amdo region.

China Nature

Welsh Alchemy

An allegorical journey through the mountains and mine shafts of North Wales.

Architecture Caves & Mines

Beneath the Velvet: Examining the Scars of Communism in Prague

The physical legacy of the Czechoslovak Communist Party.

Architecture Czech Republic

The Hill of Crosses: A Monument to Lithuanian Defiance

A unique pilgrimage site, which survived centuries of oppression under Imperial and Soviet rule.

Dark Tourism Lithuania

The Ruins of Daugavpils Fortress: A Little Piece of Russia in the Baltics

Peeling back the layers of history at an abandoned Soviet military school in Latvia.

Architecture Cold War

In the Belly of Byzantium: The Subterranean Spaces of Istanbul

Underground tourism amongst the ruins of the Byzantine capital.

Architecture Infrastructure

An Occult Psychogeography of Hawksmoor’s London Churches

The ultimate conspiracy theory tour – starring Boadicea, Jack the Ripper and Pharaoh Ramesses II.

Architecture Cemetery

MiGs, Stars & Magic Books: A Brief History of Trespassing in Moscow

An illustrated guide to urban exploration in the Russian capital.

Architecture Cold War

Tropic Blunder: Three Tales of Exotic Non-Adventure

Why the Dominican Republic, Singapore and the Bahamas are my least favourite places in the world.

Bahamas Dominican Republic

RAF Upper Heyford: Chasing Cold War Ghosts in Rural Oxfordshire

A tour through the remnants of the former largest fighter base in Europe.

Cold War Ghost Town

From Serbia With Love: Belgrade’s Abandoned Sugar Factory

Rust, grime and a few surprises inside a 19th century Serbian sugar mill.

Industrial Serbia

The Ancient Ram Inn: A Visit to ‘England’s Most Haunted House’

Poltergeists, ritual murder & a live-in succubus – the 1000-year-old pub with a ghostly reputation

Dark Tourism Supernatural

Inside Objekt 221: An Abandoned Soviet Stronghold in the Crimea

Deep beneath a Crimean mountain lurks a derelict nuclear facility that died with the Cold War.

Cold War Military

The Socialist Street Parties of Cuba, North Korea & The Former-USSR

Because no one throws a street party like the Communist Party.

Cuba Military

Alexandra Palace: Place-Hacking An Abandoned Victorian Theatre

Spatial politics, an abandoned theatre, and a midnight climb to the rooftops of North London.

Architecture London

Encountering Haitian Vodou: Le Grand Cimetière of Port-au-Prince

I went looking for Haitian vodou… but amongst the rituals and refugees of the Grand Cemetery, I fo

Cemetery Dark Tourism

Urban Exploration in Manchester: Rooftops, Drains & Arches

A tale of ropes, waders and security run-ins, on one wild night in the Northern Capital.

Drains Infrastructure

A Moldavian Massacre: Exploring The Ruins of The Chisinau Ghetto

From the former ghetto to an abandoned synagogue at the heart of Europe’s largest Jewish cemetery.

Cemetery Dark Tourism

Dark Tourism in Turkey: Visiting The Tombs of Istanbul

What Turkish cemeteries tell us about Florence Nightingale, Freemasonry and the Ottoman Caliphate.

Cemetery Dark Tourism

Five Abandoned Churches & A Cellar Full of Skulls

A detailed look at six religious ruins, scattered across Romania, Bulgaria, Kosovo and the UK.

Bulgaria Dark Tourism

The Coral Castle: Masonic Mystery in the Sunshine State

The thousand-ton folly of a Latvian eccentric, who claimed to know the secrets of the pyramids.

Architecture Freemasonry

The Scorched Remains of Hong Kong’s Abandoned Fire Station

Cosplay and metaphysics, on a visit to Hong Kong's most ironic urban ruin.

Hong Kong Rooftops

Hunting for Crocodiles in Bristol’s Dreadnought Drain

After a reported crocodile sighting in Bristol, I ventured down into the sewers for a closer look.

Drains Infrastructure

Homeless in Havana: How a Travel Disaster Showed Me the Real Cuba

Arriving in Cuba alone, with no money and no plan, was more fun than you might expect.

Cuba Travel

Bone Churches of Bohemia: The Sedlec Ossuary at Kutná Hora

A 15th century Czech chapel decorated with more than 40,000 human skeletons.

Czech Republic Dark Tourism

What it’s Like to Spend 32 Hours in The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Ghost towns, radiation & the ethics of ruin lust.

Chernobyl Dark Tourism

The Soviet Legacy: Inside Cuba’s Unfinished Nuclear Power Station

Crabs, bats and communists, in Cuba's greatest Soviet souvenir.

Architecture Cold War

The Confectioner’s Dungeon: A Brief History of the King’s Cross Ice Well

A beautifully preserved Victorian ice well, hidden for more than a century beneath central London.

London UK

Welcome to No Man’s Land: Urban Exploration in Transnistria

It doesn't get any more off-the-grid than urban exploration in a country that doesn't exist.

Industrial Moldova

London Asunder: Six Tales of Urban Infiltration

London as you’ve never seen it before: exploring the hidden infrastructure of the British capital.

Architecture Infrastructure

Exploring Crimea’s Secret Soviet Sub Base: Balaklava Naval Museum

Take a tour through a once-secret, Soviet nuclear submarine base – at Balaklava, on the Crimean Pe

Cold War Museum

Dark Tourism in the Ruins of Melbourne’s Pentridge Prison

Discover the gruesome history of the abandoned Pentridge Prison in Melbourne, Australia.

Australia Prison

Is this Abandoned Sports Hall the Olympic Venue that History Forgot?

The abandoned sports hall in Bulgaria that's rumoured to be an unused Olympic venue.

Architecture Bulgaria

Infiltrating England’s Dark Satanic Mills

A trip to London's Royal Docks, to explore a decayed skeleton of the industrial revolution: Millenni

Industrial London

Getting Under the Skin of Kangbashi: China’s Ghost City

A tour of China's "Ghost City": urban exploration in Ordos, the largest ghost town on the planet.

Architecture China

Welcome to Ordos, China: The World’s Largest “Ghost City”

Take a tour of China's "Ghost City": Ordos in Inner Mongolia.

Architecture China

Bucharest’s Abandoned Train Yard

Nothing but a dirty old rust bucket of Romanian train-wreck porn.

Romania Trains

Flashlights and Spider Bites in Melbourne’s Maze Drain

The 'Maze Drain': one of Melbourne's largest underground waterways & home to hordes of venomous spid

Australia Drains

Avtomorga: Rust & Snow

A winter visit to a scrapyard, transformed into beautiful & bizarre shapes by the drifting snow.

Bulgaria Urban Exploration

Underneath England: The Godstone Main Series Mine

Exploring the Godstone Main Series Mine: a firestone quarry beneath Surrey, England.

Caves & Mines UK

The Ghost Villas of Hong Kong

A cheeky little tale of urban exploration around the abandoned apartments of Causeway Bay.

Architecture China

The Ilinden Spomenik: Macedonia’s Space-Age Monument to Freedom

Exploring the history & symbology of the Ilinden Spomenik in Krusevo, Macedonia.

Architecture Macedonia

Cemetery of the Greatest Sage: Searching for the Tomb of Confucius

A visit to the Confucius Temple and the Cemetery of the Greatest Sage in Qufu, China.

Cemetery China

Sneaking into an Abandoned Soviet Circus in Moldova

A tour of an abandoned Soviet Circus: forgotten rings & headless clowns in the former USSR.

Architecture Moldova

Rooftops & Fireworks in Kosovo

Rooftopping in Pristina, during the 2013 Kosovo Elections.

Architecture Kosovo

Meanwhile, in Pristina: The Kosovo Elections

An inside look at the 2013 Kosovo Elections - and why you should choose Pristina as your next holida

Kosovo Travel

A Tour of the World’s Largest Labyrinth: The Odessa Catacombs

Exploring the world’s largest network of underground tunnels.

Caves & Mines Folklore

Picnic at Hanging Rock: Retracing an Australian Murder Mystery

An attempt to recreate the famous mystery novel goes wrong – leaving us at the mercy of the kangar

Australia Dark Tourism

On Smoking Weed in North Korea

How I ended up getting stoned with an officer from the DPRK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Drugs North Korea

Transnistria: What it’s Like to Visit a Post-Soviet ‘Frozen Conflict’ Zone

Last remnants of the USSR: the unrecognised Soviet Socialist Republic of Transnistria.

Architecture Dark Tourism

The Sultan’s Powerhouse: Santral Elektrik in Istanbul

A museum tour of Silahtarağa Power Station, Turkey's first coal-burning electric power plant.

Industrial Museum

The Electric Warrior: A Pilgrimage to Marc Bolan’s Rock Shrine

A visit to the Marc Bolan Rock Shrine in London, dedicated to the deceased frontman of T. Rex.

Dark Tourism London

The Asian Oktoberfest: Qingdao International Beer Festival

A visit to Qingdao International Beer Festival, complete with gunfights, edible insects, and… beer

China Music

London’s Magnificent Seven: Brompton Cemetery

London’s Brompton Cemetery is the 6th of the ‘Magnificent Seven’, a series of Victorian burial

Cemetery Dark Tourism

A Visit to Rason, North Korea During the 2013 “Korean Crisis”

A behind-the-scenes account of the 2013 Korean Crisis, and the North Korean perspective on current t

Dark Tourism Military

London’s Secret Waterways: The Lost River Effra

A visit to London Below, and the subterranean waterways of the Lost River Effra.

Drains Infrastructure

Visiting the Auschwitz Concentration Camp

The Auschwitz Concentration Camp & Auschwitz II-Birkenau Extermination Camp, at Oświęcim, Poland.

Dark Tourism Poland

Under the Bridge

Braving the spiders, sweat and pigeon shit to explore the infrastructure of a historic Australian br

Australia Infrastructure

No Leaf Clover: Walking an Abandoned Train Tunnel

Exploring unfinished communist-era train tunnels beneath the hills of Bulgaria.

Bulgaria Trains

Wang Saen Suk Hell Garden: A Glimpse of the Buddhist Underworld

Take a guided tour into the bowels of Buddhist Hell, at the Wang Saen Suk Hell Garden in Thailand.

Dark Tourism Folklore

The Strange and Tragic History of Bulgaria’s Cape Kaliakra

Cape Kaliakra is a beautiful peninsula near Balchik, Bulgaria, which hides a bloody history.

Bulgaria Dark Tourism

Brewer’s Droop: A Risky Climb in Melbourne’s Yorkshire Brewery

The Yorkshire Brewery is a crumbling Victorian tower, once the tallest building in Melbourne, Austra

Architecture Australia

Extreme Dining: The Devil’s Kitchen

Located in Qingdao, China, the restaurant ‘Sichuan Outside Sichuan’ serves Szechuan Cuisine fit

China Food

Zhongshan Bunkers: Military Tunnels Under Qingdao

Searching for a network of German military tunnels, hidden beneath Zhongshan Park in Qingdao, China.

China Military

Old Melbourne Gaol: Death Masks & The Art of Hanging

Australia’s Old Melbourne Gaol is notorious for its death masks, gallows & connection with outlaw

Australia Dark Tourism

Don’t Forget Your Past: The Fate of Buzludzha

Repairs begin at the ‘House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party’, on Mount Buzludzha. New

Architecture Bulgaria

Chollima Speed: Taking a Ride on North Korea’s Pyongyang Metro

North Korea’s Pyongyang Metro is the world’s most secretive subway. This report visits 5 metro s

Architecture Infrastructure

Wonderland: China’s Abandoned Theme Park

China's Wonderland - an abandoned Disney-style amusement park near Beijing.

Architecture China

Welcome to the DMZ: Touring the Korean Demilitarized Zone

The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is the world’s most militarized border. This is a tour from No

Dark Tourism Military

Rooftopping in Hong Kong

Climbing to the roof of a 60-storey hotel, for a better view of the spectacular Hong Kong skyline.

China Hong Kong

Looking for the Cave Clan in Melbourne’s ANZAC Drain

The ANZAC Drain in Melbourne, Australia, is home to ‘The Chamber’ - meeting place of the Cave Cl

Australia Drains

Larundel Hospital: An Abandoned Mental Asylum in Melbourne

Investigating supernatural goings-on at the abandoned Larundel Mental Asylum in Melbourne, Australia

Asylum Australia

Gas Masks & Graffiti: A Derelict Furniture Factory in Bulgaria

The abandoned Sava Ganchev factory: artistic graffiti & a dungeon full of gas masks.

Bulgaria Industrial

The Fall of Siam & the Lost Temples of Ayutthaya

The Temples of Ayutthaya, Thailand, tell the fascinating history of ancient Siam and its mysterious

Dark Tourism Religion

To Beijing Below: Chairman Mao’s Forbidden Undercity

Beneath the streets of Beijing, China, lies an underground city designed to house 6,000,000 people.

China Military

The Fortifications of Bucharest: Leordeni Fort № 10

The Leordeni 10 Fort is one of the 18 abandoned Fortifications of Bucharest, Romania.

Romania Underground

Astana: The Illuminati Capital of Kazakhstan

Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, is a futuristic city of symbols - with rumoured links to Freemasonry,

Architecture Curiosities

End of the Line: Abandoned Train Yards in the Snow

Abandoned train station in the Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria. Ticket halls, tracks & rusted cranes.

Bulgaria Trains

The Ancient Capital: Kaesong, North Korea

Kaesong is the ancient capital of the Koryo Dynasty, and one of North Korea’s most popular cultura

Folklore Museum

German Military Tunnels Beneath the Misty Mountains of China

Forgotten German military tunnels under Mount Fu just outside Qingdao, China.

China Military

Bran Castle: A Tour of Count Dracula’s Transylvanian Lair

A visit to Romania’s Bran Castle - aka ‘Dracula’s Castle’ - and a look at the real ‘Vlad t

Dark Tourism Folklore

Sathorn Unique: How I Failed to Infiltrate Bangkok’s “Ghost Tower”

Urban exploration in Bangkok’s 50-storey, abandoned ‘ghost tower’.

Architecture Thailand

Camp Cthulhu: The Nightmare World of Lenin’s Young Pioneers

A visit to a Soviet Young Pioneer children’s camp lying forgotten in a forest near Moscow.

Architecture Russia

A Sunday Morning Rooftop Infiltration

A lazy Sunday morning on the rooftops of a Bulgarian shopping centre.

Bulgaria Rooftops

Ryugyong Hotel: The Curious Story of North Korea’s “Hotel of Doom”

Planned as the world’s tallest hotel, the unfinished Ryugyong towers over Pyongyang, North Korea.

Architecture North Korea

Dark Tourism: The Bridge on the River Kwai

A visit to Thailand’s Bridge on the River Kwai & JEATH War Museum - riding the Thai-Burma Death Ra

Dark Tourism Military

Dead Satellites: Exploring Abandoned USSR Radar Sites

Chasing Cold War ghosts in a forest near Moscow, Russia. Abandoned satellite arrays & radar dishes.

Cold War Military

The Burns Centre: A Vast Unfinished Hospital in Kiev

This vast complex was once designed to be the largest hospital & burns centre in Kiev, Ukraine.

Hospital Ukraine

Exploring an Abandoned Cold War Bunker in Bulgaria

A Cold War bunker beneath the Park-Monument of the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship in Varna, Bulgaria.

Bulgaria Cold War

The Descent: A Caving Disaster at St. Vincent’s Well, Bristol

A doomed descent into the cave known as St Vincent’s Well – Bristol, UK.

Caves & Mines UK

Systo Palty: Russia’s Baltic Rave Circus

Systo Palty is an annual trance & world music festival held near Saint Petersburg.

Music Party

A Tourist in Pyongyang: My First Impressions on Visiting North Korea

A guided tour of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Old-fashioned hospitality in the communist D

Architecture Dark Tourism

Urban Exploration in Ukraine: Deep in the Drains of Kiev

Beneath Kiev, Ukraine, there lies a complex network of Soviet storm drains, tunnels & mines.

Drains Ukraine

The Rooftops of Kiev: Climbing a Shard of Concrete

Climbing up the abandoned tower of an unfinished skyscraper in Kiev, Ukraine.

Architecture Rooftops

An Abandoned School in the Mountains of Bulgaria

In the Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria, this socialist school lies abandoned & haunted by the past.

Bulgaria Urban Exploration

Urban Exploration: Inside the Ruins of a Soviet-Era Glass Factory

This abandoned Soviet Glass Factory in the mountains of Bulgaria is a monument to failed industry.

Bulgaria Industrial

Ashes to Ashes: The Burnt Shell of a Former Embassy

The burned-out ruins of a once grand town house in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria Urban Exploration

Mount Buzludzha: Bulgaria’s Communist Party Headquarters

Formally known as the House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party, the monument at Buzludzha Pea

Architecture Bulgaria

Forgotten Ghost Towns of the Balkans

In a remote corner of the Balkan Mountains, there stands a forgotten village with no name. At an alt

Bulgaria Ghost Town

Beachfront Adventures: Winter at the Resort

Winter-time infiltration of the closed-down bars & restaurants along Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.

Bulgaria Urban Exploration

Exploring an Abandoned Monument to the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship

The Monument to the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship, sometimes simply referred to as the Russian Monumen

Architecture Bulgaria

The Fallen Restaurant: Exploring a Ruin with a View

This abandoned restaurant hangs from the cliffs above Bulgaria's Black Sea coast.

Bulgaria Urban Exploration

Pobiti Kamani: Bulgaria’s Stone Forest

Pobiti Kamani is a unique geological phenomenon which has perhaps no parallel to be found anywhere i

Bulgaria Curiosities

The Broken Bricks of an Unfinished Holiday Park

On Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, there lies a popular resort town known as Golden Sands. This modern

Bulgaria Urban Exploration

Urban Exploration: The Old Milk Factory

Exploring the derelict remains of a creamery and bottling plant in Southwest England.

Industrial UK

The Old Orphanage: A Derelict Children’s Hospital in the Balkans

High up in the Bulgarian Balkans, this abandoned orphanage dates back to the communist era.

Bulgaria Hospital

Inside an Abandoned Mental Hospital

Urban Exploration: an abandoned mental hospital & asylum in Southwest England.

Asylum UK