Surrounded by bodies and human remains we found ourselves inside a hundred-years-old crypt during one of our adventures. This might be the most mystical but also grim places we have ever explored. Due to this small structure looking like it originated from some movie or a game, we felt like real-life tomb raiders when we were unveiling the secrets of the neglected grave. Immerse yourself in the fascinating but yet sad world of a long-forgotten family’s mausoleum.
Urbex always includes dealing with transience. In the past, we came across a vast number of abandoned sites which used to be full of life and beauty. But all that’s left today is decay and the stories those places tell. Because above all transience also means death. But still, we weren’t prepared for what we should experience that day. On a neglected graveyard of some secluded village in Germany, we found this age-old mausoleum which has become completely covered in ivy. Immediately, we spotted an entrance to this unreal location. But this literally meant descending into the realm of the dead.
We just wanted to shoot some mystical footage of this very special place back then. We knew that the old graves had already been robbed and thought the human bones probably had been buried somewhere else by now. But apparently, we were mistaken...
We were actually shocked to have found human remains since we didn’t expect that at all. But since the bodies have been decaying here for already a hundred years, we needed to take a closer look to see if this was really a skeleton or not. Some of the bodies were even missing their heads.
Every single coffin was forced open and ransacked. The lids but also plenty of bones were scattered around the basement floor. A beautiful tomb with many details and inscriptions was supposed to be a final resting place. But the graves were desecrated and nobody did anything about this - except of sealing up the building multiple times. But vandals were breaking in again and again, so the caretaker simply gave up one day.
The two-storied mausoleum consists of the crypt downstairs and a chapel upstairs. Although there are only a few meters between those two floors, the whole atmosphere is completely different. We have two separate worlds inside one small building. The harsh contrast of light and shadow gives this place such a surreal touch.
A plate on the wall revealed who was buried here: It’s a pastor and scientist who had a wealthy family. One hundred years ago he died and he wanted to be entombed in this mausoleum he built himself. His wife and some other family members were also buried here.
This place was meant to help against being forgetting, but in the end it was forgotten itself. Who should remember if there isn’t anyone left who could? In our opinion, this is the very definition of transience. And it is what urbex is all about – rediscovering the past and giving it a meaning. Because as long as we will remember, such places will never be forgotten.
I have always found these places to be of interest to me. We have some mausoleums in Colma, California but they are well-kept and sacred, resting place for entire families, generations. Good explore on your part. Much appreciated post.
And speaking of games, this reminds me of some of the levels from an old Nintendo 64 game called Gauntlet: Legends. aka. Gauntlet: Dark Legacy on PS2
What a beautiful crypt with dome. Seeing the remnants of blue glass is sad and only a glimpse into what was once there. The foliage coming through the top is quite lovely. Thank You for respecting the family and phasing out the bodies and bones. Such a shame the bodies were ravished by grave robbers.
A place of Mystery is Always worth a curiosity trip!
Ethics
