Artificial Owl

Little Sweden: abandoned bar / restaurant / guest house in the Californian Sierra Nevada

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Driving on highway 108, On the way back from a camping week end in the sierra, north of the Yosemite National Park we stopped at this location, that I had seen many times before. Friends recommended it. The building, on top of a hill next to the highway doesn't look that impressive from the outside. It's only when you get closer that you start to see something quiet unusual: the place is full of all the things that it contained when it was abandoned.

We visited for a couple of hours all the rooms of what probably use to be a bar or a restaurant and possibly a guest house. I found on an old bill that the name of the place was Little Sweden. The owners for an unexplained reason left the place as it was with absolutely everything you can imagine in.

Remains of a truck.

From dates on bills and magazines it seems that the place was last inhabited around 1995. Of course and unfortunately it had been vandalized since. I did some research on the net but couldn't find a piece of info about it. If you know anything about what happen there I'll be happy to include that here.

Old polaroids capture stories only for those who can remember them...

Short and Special + a nail in a freezer...

The main room.

The kitchen.

A bedroom.

An old video game.

Clothes still in the closet after more than 10 years.

coordinates : 38°08'04.54"N 120°05'43.13"W
google map

pictures sources : gregoire V. & Artificial Owl
text source : Artificial Owl

Artificial Owl recommends:

The abandoned resort of Bokor mountain, Cambodia

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:35:00 +0000

Bokor Hill Station is an abandoned French town built in 1922 on Bokor Mountain, just outside the town of Kampot, southern Cambodia. mark M. who visited the area was kind enough to send us some pictures. the buildings look absolutely eerie and beautiful. It seems that the area that has been abandoned for so many years has some new development on the way and is becoming touristy.

Bokor resort Hotel/casino

The following description is from Mark M. :" I went to Cambodia and one of the highlights of my trip was a night's stay on Bokor Mountain to see the abandoned resort up there. It was built by the French in the 20's and then expanded much later (evidenced by some sleek and modern architecture), but was abandoned due to the war in the 70's and was used as a hold out for the Khmer Rouge for a while. An important battle happened there, I believe. The main building is intact, overlooking a dramatic cliff toward the distant ocean. There are several other buildings including a catholic church, a casino, some homes."

The following description comes straight out of wikipedia:" The town was built as a resort by the colonial French settlers to offer an escape from the humidity and general insanity of Phnom Penh. The centrepiece of the resort was the grand Bokor Palace Hotel & Casino, complemented by shops, a post office, a church and the Royal Apartments. It is also an important cultural site, showing how the colonial settlers spent their free time.

Now abandoned, most of the buildings are still standing. The strategic importance of the location is underlined by the fact that the Cambodian authorities maintain a Ranger Station on the site."

coordinates : 10°37'19.78"N 104°01'34.61"E
google map

pictures sources : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 & Mark M.
text source : 1 & Mark M.

Artificial Owl recommends:

Half-Track Truck skeleton near Hole in the rock, Utah

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:00:00 +0000

These are the remains of a M3 Half-track vehicle (if I'm correct) which according to Wikipedia
was "an armoured vehicle used by the United States and its allies during World War II and the Cold War." The pictures were taken by Dayne T. while traveling on the tracks around the gorgeous area of Hole in the rock in Utah. Thanks for the great pictures Dayne.

All the valuable parts seemed to have been stripped apart over the years. This carcass strikingly reminds me of the dried out elephant skeleton that are found in the African desert. Anywhere else this sight would have been mundane, but in this remote desertic area, it gets a whole different meaning.

Illustration of a complete Half-track M3

The area of Hole in the rock, unknown to me, looks like a great destination.

coordinates : 37°22'31.71"N 110°32'21.06"W
google map

pictures sources : 1 2 3 & Dayne T.
text source : 1 & Dayne T.

Artificial Owl recommends:

The diamond mine vehicle graveyard of Namibia

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Oranjemund, Namibia. It seems to be the largest diamond mine vehicle graveyard, and yet there are barely any pictures of it. Satellite photos of the area could let you guess how big it is. The mine owned by De Beers is reputed to have the largest private earthmoving fleet in the world.

From the texts I have found here and there, my understanding is that that people are not allowed to visit those the area for safety reasons, hence the lack of available photos.

This tank was last used in industry, not war; after World War II, the diamond miners of Oranjemund used surplus tanks to bulldoze sand.

Once a machine has been used for diamond harvesting in the De beers mine, it won't leave the mine anymore, even after it's Obsolete. Machines of any types have been piling up in the graveyard since the 1900's. The reason seems to be that people could find diamonds trapped in those old machines. I don't know why the company do not dismantle them in search of possible lost gems though...

A map of the graveyard, each point is supposedly a vehicle

And some more few miles north.

coordinates : 28°26'09.22"S 16°16'06.37"E
google map

pictures sources : 1 2
text source : 1 2

Artificial Owl recommends:

Hanging bunker at Devil's slide

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:00:00 +0000

This bunker is located above the pacific ocean at a part of the coast called "devil's slide" few miles south of San Francisco. I want to thanks Kevin L. for sending me this tip, this is truly an amazing location. I had the chance to go there and take some pictures, I can tell that the name "devil's slide" is perfectly appropriate!

There are 2 sets of bunkers in pretty much the same location, the lone bunker to the south, built originally on a thick pillar of sandstone. The stone has eroded so much that the building hangs over it on all sides. And some more to the north.

The following description from the United States Army Corps of Engineers website refers to those constructions (the one to the north) : "Prior to 01 July 1940, the War Department acquired 9.61 ... acres for a triangulation station and observation site. Devil's Slide was one of a series of observation posts during pre-radar days and was a part of the Harbor Defense of San Francisco. Military personnel would use binoculars and compasses to search for ships at sea and relay the position ... using information received from other observation posts. Improvements to the site began in 1943, and included three observation pill-boxes, one electric generator bunker, one communications and command bunker, and an observation tower."

The south bunker.

Looking to the north.

The 3 other constructions north of the first bunker.

south bunker coordinates : 37°34'05.23"N 122°30'58.99"W

google map

north bunkers coordinates: 37°34'28.43"N 122°31'09.04"W

google map

pictures sources : 1 2 3 & Artificial Owl
text source : 1 2 3

Artificial Owl recommends:

Abandoned Catalina seaplane: 50 years between the sea and the desert

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:29:00 +0000

It's a beautiful seaplane abandoned between the sea and the desert of Saudi Arabia and it's been left there for almost 50 years. The plane is a PBY-5A Catalina, a military American seaplane from the 1930's. It's is located on a beach off the Strait of Tiran on the Saudi Arabia side of the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba. Thanks to Adam, we get to know about it and it's story (You too can propose a story to us) :

"The aircraft is a PBY-5A model and was bought from the US Navy by Thomas W Kendall, a retired businessman who converted it to a luxury flying yacht.

The PBY-5A Catalina was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II.

In the spring of 1960 Mr Kendall took a pleasure trip around the world with his wife and children together with his secretary and her son. A photographer joined the group to cover part of the trip for life magazine.

On the 22nd March 1960 they landed at the Strait of Tirana and anchored the aircraft a short distance from the shore to spend the night there. They heard someone shouting but did not pay any attention.

In the afternoon of the following day they were attacked with machine guns and automatic firearms from a headland nearby. The children were able to swim back to the aircraft. Mr Kendal and his secretary were wounded while trying to start the Catalina but moved it about 800 metres, unfortunately it ran aground on a coral reef.

The firing lasted 30 to 40 minutes and no fewer than 300 shots hit the aircraft. The fuel tanks were perforated and 4000 litres of fuel poured from the holes but miraculously the aircraft did not catch fire. The sea was only about 1.5 metres deep and all aboard managed to leave the aircraft and reach the shore.

On the beach they were captured by a group of Bedouins attached to the Saudi Arabian army, who had taken them to be Israeli commandos. They were eventually taken to Jeddah, interrogated and finally set free with the help of the American Ambassador. The Ambassador protested to the Saudi Arabian government but they refused to accept any liability for the attack and consequent loss of the aircraft." Incredible story. Thank you Adam.

coordinates : 28°05'27.02"N 34°36'30.93"E
google map

pictures sources : 1 & Adam
text source : 1 & Adam

Artificial Owl recommends:

The white domes of Cape Romano island

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:10:00 +0000

A the extreme south tip of Cape Romano island in Florida, you can encounter what looks like monsters from space walking towards the ocean. There are in fact a set of abandoned constructions. Thank you to Kristen Mancuso for sending this cool discovery and their accompanying photos.

Photo credit- Kristen Mancuso

What the story of the white domes?
The structures were built in 1982, but are slowly slipping in to the Gulf of Mexico now.
They survived Hurricane Wilma. It seems they were originally several hundred yards off shore but Hurricane Wilma washed away a considerable amount of shore and severely damaged them.

Photo credit- Kristen Mancuso

Photo credit- Kristen Mancuso

coordinates : 25°50'42.68"N 81°40'52.30"W
google map

pictures sources : 1 & Kristen Mancuso
text source : 1 & Kristen Mancuso

Artificial Owl recommends:

What happened to the world discoverer?

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:00:00 +0000

The World Discoverer was a cruise ship dedicated to explore polar regions, it was abandoned in 2000 on Nggela Island, (Solomon Islands) after hitting a reef. I want to thank Lucas E. who contacted me to have the World explorer included on AO, not only did he send me all the information he gathered but he also wrote the entry on Wikipedia.

The following text is a shortened version of his article:

"The vessel was originally built in 1974. The ship was subsequently resold to many different owners along the years, and renamed as many times. The vessel has a double hull construction allowing for periodic voyages to Antarctic Peninsula region for its passengers to observe ice floe movements and protection for any iceberg impacts. The ship carries of fleet of inflatable dinghies allowing passenger to move closer to ice floes for observation.

The ship conducts cruises near the Southern Hemisphere and visits places like Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, Chile, Ushuaia, Argentina. During the period between March and May, the ship cruises the South Pacific Islands. It also cruises this area between the months of August and October. And finally, between the months of June and August, the ship around the Alaskan region and also near the Russian border around the Bering sea. Very few vessels have been constructed for exclusive cruising expeditions near or around icebergs. The double hulled construction could allowed impact with glaciers while sustaining very little damage to the ship or crew. The World Discoverer also has a 8,000 mile cruising range allowing the ship to be the first ship to ever transit the Northwest Passage.

On April 30, 2000, The ship struck a large uncharted rock or reef on the Sandfly Passage, Solomon Islands. A passenger ferry was dispatched to the ship where all passenger were then transported to safety. The captain then brought the ship into Roderick Bay after the ship began to list 20 degrees and grounded the ship to avoid sinking. The ship has remained in Roderick Bay ever since. The World Discoverer still sits in Roderick Bay on Nggela Island with a 46 degree list."

coordinates : 9°01'23.49"S 160°07'23.34"E
google map

pictures sources : 1 2 3 4
text source : 1

Artificial Owl recommends:

Not dead!

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:52:00 +0000

No updates for much too long, I'm sincerely sorry for that. My passion for the subject is intact but sometimes it's hard to find time, even for a passion.

I want to thanks all the readers who sent me articles in the last 4 months. I finally finished to organize most of them, they will appear on AO very soon.

A couple of small things changed since the last post and I want to introduce them briefly:

- A new logo and colors were introduced few weeks ago. So far I'm pretty pleased with them. let me know your opinion.

- Based on email and comments I updated some posts to add or correct information. I always do it as much as I find time to, thanks to you for pointing out mistakes and missing info.
* Diego P. provided the full story for the Shipwreck of the Eden V, Marina di lesina, Italy
* Norbi in the comments corrected the coordinates for the Shipwreck of the Murmansk, north coast of Norway

- Bluesun2600 via Twitter asked for downloadable KMZ (GoogleEarth) maps. I will most likely add that in the coming weeks.

- Finally I added a new feature to the map. The red pushpins are a direct link to all articles located in the referring country.

The 10 Most spectacular shipwrecks from the past year on AO

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:28:00 +0000

Artificial Owl is one year old!
To celebrate this first great year of existence, here is a new type of articles called "Best of AO".
They recap the best posts from the past year on a specific subject...Let's start with the 10 most spectacular shipwrecks.

On a completely unrelated note, you can now follow AO on twitter.

Enjoy!
The Artificial Owl

The American Star
Read her story [+]

The Ydra
Read her story [+]

The Mediterranean Sky
Read her story [+]

The Olympia
Read her story [+]

The Dimitrios
Read her story [+]

The Eden V
Read her story [+]

The Murmansk
Read her story [+]

The Eduard Bohlen
Read her story [+]

The Panagiotis
Read her story [+]

The United Malika
Read her story [+]

See more shipwrecks on AO [+]

The Mexican church buried by lava : San Juan Parangaricutiro

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Fri, 08 May 2009 08:35:00 +0000

This church is the only remaining building left from the village of San Juan Parangaricutiro, located in the state of Michoacán in Mexico. What happened? Not far from there In 1943 the Volcán de Parícutin started to rise out of a farmer's cornfield. In the following irruption, it buried 2 villages under lava and ashes, including San Juan Parangaricutiro.

The church of San Juan is now an abandoned ruin in the middle of nowhere. During the eruption, the lava flowed around and into the church, and covered 3/4 of the town. Just beneath the church, the old houses and buildings keep buried under the rocks.

No one died from the Parícutin volcano as all residents were evacuated before the villages were covered in lava. At the end of this phase, the volcano had grown 336 metres tall. For the next eight years the volcano would continue erupting.

coordinates : 19°31'59.58"N 102°14'49.88"W
google map

pictures sources : 1 2 3 4 5
text source : 1 2 3

Artificial Owl recommends:

The story of the captain who wrecked twice the same boat in the same place

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:21:00 +0000

They might not be the most spectacular shipwrecks you have ever seen, but the story that lead those 2 ships to wreck on the reef coast of new Caledonia is pretty unusual.

Ever Prosperity grounded in 1965

The strange story of the two "Ever Prosperity". They were twin ships ("Liberty ships"), they had same name and same base port in Monrovia, Liberia. The first "Ever Prosperity" went straight up on the West Coast barrier reef in 1965. The second one did exactly same in 1970. It was the same captain, a Korean man, who had been commanding each ship at the time of her grounding!

Ever Prosperity grounded in 1965

Ever Prosperity grounded in 1970

Ever Prosperity grounded in 1970

Ever Prosperity grounded in 1970

coordinates Ever Prosperity 1970 : 22°27'20.70"S 166°22'00.69"E
google map
coordinates Ever Prosperity 1965 : 21°54'38.45"S 165°45'19.01"E
google map

pictures sources : 1 2 3 4 5
text source : 1

Artificial Owl recommends:

Abandoned igloo hotel... kitsch and concrete

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 20:56:00 +0000

In Cantwell, Alaska you can stop and see this strange construction, a now abandoned 4 story igloo shaped hotel. I would love to get pictures from the inside.

coordinates : 63°11'15.74"N 149°21'35.74"W
google map

pictures sources : 1

Artificial Owl recommends:

Disaster(s) of the Aral sea part 1: Shipwrecks around Muynak

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:41:00 +0000

Muynak is a city in northern Karakalpakstan in western Uzbekistan. Home to only a few thousand residents at most, Muynak's population has been declining precipitously since the 1980s due to the recession of the Aral Sea.

Once a bustling fishing community, Muynak is now a shadow of its former self, dozens of miles from the rapidly receding shoreline of the Aral Sea. Fishing had always been part of the economy of the region, and Muynak became a center of industrial fishing and canning. A regional agricultural monoculture dominated by cotton production which diverts water from tributary rivers of the sea into irrigation, and severe pollution caused by agricultural chemical runoff, are causing the sea to evaporate and the water that remains is highly saline and very toxic, causing the ecological disaster which is inevitably destroying the sea and killing the residents of the towns in its vicinity, including Muynak.

Muynak is now home to a incongruous armada of rusting hulks that once made up the proud fishing fleet during the Soviet era. Poisonous dust storms kicked up by strong winds across the dried and polluted seabed give rise to a multitude of chronic and acute illnesses among the few residents, weather unmoderated by the sea now buffets the town with hotter-than-normal summers and colder-than-normal winters.

The Aral Sea was once the world's fourth-largest saline body of water, it has been steadily shrinking since the 1960s, after the rivers that fed it were diverted by Soviet Union irrigation projects. By 2004, the sea had shrunk to 25% of its original surface area, and a nearly fivefold increase in salinity had killed most of its natural flora and fauna. By 2007 it had declined to 10% of its original size, splitting into three separate lakes, two of which are too salty to support fish. The once prosperous fishing industry has been virtually destroyed, and former fishing towns along the original shores have become ship graveyards. With this collapse has come unemployment and economic hardship.

The disappearance of the lake was no surprise to the Soviets; they expected it to happen long before. As early as in 1964, Aleksandr Asarin at the Hydroproject Institute pointed out that the lake was doomed explaining, "It was part of the five-year plans, approved by the council of ministers and the Politburo. Nobody on a lower level would dare to say a word contradicting those plans, even if it was the fate of the Aral Sea."

Shrinkage of the Aral sea between 1989 and 2008

coordinates : 43°46'28.87"N 59°02'20.02"E
google map

pictures sources : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
text source : 1 2

Artificial Owl recommends:

The nuclear plant that was never finished

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 05:26:00 +0000

I recently "discovered" with great surprise this amazing site on google earth, and was equally amazed by its story. The unfinished "Crimean Atomic Energy Station" (Ukrainian КримськаАЕС, Russian КрымскаяАЭС) was supposed to be a new nuclear power plant for the region of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

It's construction started in 1976 when Crimea was part of USSR. What exactly happened is unclear to me, it seems that the construction lasted almost forever (more than 10 years). Between 1986 and 1989 the station was inspected following the Chernobyl disaster, and was found to be located on a geologically volatile site. Construction of the facility was summarily abandoned.

All the construction equipment was left on the site, I suppose that the situation of the weakened Soviet union plays a role in this messy situation. Part of the nuclear reactors were shipped as spare parts to other nuclear plants of Ukraine.

The building of the nuclear power station entered into the Guinness book of records as the most expensive reactor construction in world history. The nearby city of Shcholkine also commonly known as Shchelkino or Shchyolkino by its Russian name, was constructed in 1978 to house workers of the power plant, the town population was later divided by 2 after the project halted.

coordinates : 45°23'30.52"N 35°48'12.66"E
google map

pictures sources : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
text source : 1 2

Artificial Owl recommends:

Where combine harvesters go to rest

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Few years ago driving around the city of Aix en provence, south of France I found this derelict combine harvester. It deeply captured my imagination, not sure why.

I can't help but think about the mythical elephant boneyard, where the old ones feeling the death coming would go to rest in peace.

coordinates : 43°30'59.27"N 5°32'29.34"E
google map

pictures sources : Artificial Owl

Artificial Owl recommends:

Update + request

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:24:00 +0000

Dear readers,
I have just added one new feature and have a little request for you.

- First the feature, it's a brand new rating system that gathers much better data, and display the most popular posts based on you ratings, I always wanted to get that and just found Outbrain. Check a the bottom of the sidebar for the "Most Popular Posts"

- I would be very thankful if one of you could send me an invitation to join ffffound.com, a very inspirational website that I visit almost every day. Send the invite at admin@artificialowl.net

-Finally I have just relaunched The Artificial Owl Facebook page, so if you want to support the Owl join us!

I'll be back over the week end with some good new posts! Thanks for reading this blog.
The Artificial Owl

Buried in sand: The abandoned Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse in Jutland Denmark started life on December 27, 1900 (construction started in 1899). The lighthouse is 60 metres above sea level. Until 1908 it operated on gas.
It ceased to operate on August 1, 1968.

Shifting sands and coastal erosion led to the buildings being abandoned in 2002. Prior to their abandonment, the buildings had been used as a museum and coffee shop. The small buildings are now partially buried in sand.

Looking at different era photos, it's interesting to see sand dunes moving around, burying some of the buildings, sometimes uncovering them.

coordinates : 57°26'56.02"N 9°46'27.66"E
google map

pictures sources : 1 2 3 4
text source : 1

Artificial Owl recommends:

Abandoned sugar cane factory of Pierrefonds part 2: Inside the factory

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Last month I had the chance to travel around La Reunion, a French island in the Indian ocean. Sugar Cane is a major activity there and you can see hundreds ruins of sugar cane factory all around the island. I got the chance to visit some of them: here is the sugar cane factory of Pierrefonds, on the south west coast. Discover the exterior of the factory.

The first factory was built around 1830, it changed ownership in 1860, and thanks to technical improvement in the sugar cane processing kept changing and growing until it was finally shut down in 1970. All the sugar cane related activity moved to a more modern factory nearby.

The interior looks like a damaged industrial cathedral, high ceilings, rusted machinery on the ground or hanging from the walls and the moisture slowly decaying everything.

coordinates : 21°18'06.52"S 55°25'41.45"E
google map

pictures sources : Artificial Owl
text source : 1

Artificial Owl recommends:

Abandoned sugar cane factory of Pierrefonds part 1: Around the factory

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Last month I had the chance to travel around La Reunion, a French island in the Indian ocean. Sugar Cane is a major activity there and you can see hundreds ruins of sugar cane factory all around the island. I got the chance to visit some of them: here is the sugar cane factory of Pierrefonds, on the south west coast.

The first factory was built around 1830, it changed ownership in 1860, and thanks to technical improvement in the sugar cane processing kept changing and growing until it was finally shut down in 1970. All the sugar cane related activity moved to a more modern factory nearby.

The facade is surprisingly detailed for a factory.

The 2 rusted old cranes, were used in the time to unload the sugar cane from trucks.

coordinates : 21°18'06.52"S 55°25'41.45"E
google map

pictures sources : Artificial Owl
text source : 1

Artificial Owl recommends:

Shipwreck of the Galant Lady on Bimini island, Bahamas

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 04:01:00 +0000

The rusted hulk of the Gallant Lady leans against a rocky shore on North Bimini in the Bahamas. I can't find any information about the reason for the wreck, any details are welcome.

coordinates : 25°43'13.02"N 79°18'07.69"W
google map

pictures sources : 1 2 3
text source : 1

Artificial Owl recommends:

Abandoned lighthouse on Great Isaac Cay, The Bahamas

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:54:00 +0000

Great Isaac Cay is a small Bahamian island located about 20 miles NNE of the Bimini Islands. It is accessible only by boat. And it is so small that it's not visible on google map or google earth. The most prominent feature of the island is its lighthouse, which was erected in 1859.

In the late 19th century local lore tells of a ship wreck on the island with one survivor, an infant. The child’s distraught mother, known as the Grey Lady, is said to haunt the island to this very day, wailing in sorrow during the full moon.

On August 4, 1969, the station was discovered to have been abandoned by its two keepers, who were never found. The keepers’ house, cistern, and assorted buildings are crumbling into ruins. The Lighthouse look abandoned but is actually still in use, fully automated.

coordinates : 26°02'0"N 79°06'0"W
google map

pictures sources : 1 2 3 4
text source : 1

Artificial Owl recommends:

The abandoned acoustic mirrors, Denge, UK

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:00:00 +0000

photo: Montpelier flick

Denge is a former Royal Air Force site near Dungeness, in Kent, England. It is best known for the early experimental acoustic mirrors which remain there.

The mirrors were built in the 1920s as an experimental early warning system for incoming aircraft. Several were built along the south and east coasts, but the complex at Denge is the best preserved.There are three acoustic mirrors in the complex, each consisting of a single concrete hemispherical reflector.

Acoustic mirrors did work, and could effectively be used to detect slow moving enemy aircraft before they came into sight. They worked by concentrating sound waves towards a central point, where a microphone would have been located. However, their use was limited as aircraft became faster. Operators also found it difficult to distinguish between aircraft and seagoing vessels. In any case, they quickly became obsolete due to the invention of radar in 1932. The experiment was abandoned, and the mirrors left to decay.

The most famous of these devices still stand at Denge on the Dungeness peninsula and at Hythe in Kent. Other examples exist in other parts of Britain (including Sunderland, Redcar, Boulby, Kilnsea) and Selsey Bill, and in Malta.

coordinates : 50°57'23.89"N 0°57'15.98"E
google map

pictures sources : 1 2 3 4 5 6
text source : 1 2

Artificial Owl recommends:

The giant hand of the Atacama desert

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 05:53:00 +0000

La mano del desierto (the hand of the desert) is not actually abandoned as most of the things you can find in this blog...It's a piece of art, and it's hard to tell if a piece of art is ever abandoned.

Nevertheless, the sight of this surrealistic giant hand in this very special location, the driest desert of Atacama, in Chile just moves me the same way as abandoned things do.

The artist behind it is the Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrázabal. the hand was constructed at an altitude of 1,100 meters above sea level. The work has a base of iron and cement, and stands 11 meters tall. The sculpture was inaugurated on March 28, 1992.

Mario Irarrázabal also made similar sculptures in Punta del Este, in Uruguay in 1982, in the city of Madrid in 1987, and in Venice 1995.

coordinates : 24°09'30.04"S 70°09'23.65"W
google map

pictures sources : 1 2 3 4
text source : 1

Artificial Owl recommends:

New feature: The visual Archive

noreply@blogger.com (The Artificial Owl) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Dear readers, I just added what I call a Visual Archive, the link is located in the sidebar just underneath the World Map. So what is it? Each picture is a link to the corresponding article. Dead-simple... I hope it will let you discover old interesting articles as It is much more intuitive than a regular archive. I encourage you to also have a look at the World Map, it's a fun way to navigate through AO past articles.

Thanks for reading this blog.
The Artificial Owl