Discover abandoned places in NRW with the camera
With the camera on an urbex (urban exploration) a photo tour through the abandoned place Kent School. Simply powerful. Our thoughts go to the past. Our impressions reach from the present into the future.
To say in advance, this is a non-commercial use. I became aware of this abandoned place through my hobby of photography. I would like to share my experiences here. The site, steeped in history, provides the perfect setting for a Lost Places photo tour. To get onto the site, you have to pay "admission". However, this is not for the enrichment of the owners, but to ensure the safety and preservation of the site.
An abandoned place with history
The Kent School was inaugurated in 1912 by the Franciscan Brothers as St Joseph's Home. During the war years the area was "converted" into the Waldniel Children's Specialist Ward. Mentally handicapped children were murdered here and the former St. Josef Home became a murder site. After the war this Lost Place became a British school. During the photo tour I was able to get a picture of the church, the administration wing, the school rooms as well as the former hospital rooms.
A photo tour as a voyage of discovery
I have to say, I wasn't always entirely comfortable. Empty rooms, the history of this place always in the back of my mind and always a crack and creak. There the adrenaline level rises in between times. However, there is something to discover in every corner. On the photo tour I stayed sometimes 30-40 minutes only in one room, because moss and weathering, in addition the sunlight resulted in a perfect picture symbiosis. Everywhere you discover something that should be captured with the camera. Just as joy and sorrow were close together in the history of the Kent School, so it is present today. In one tract you still find old wall paintings of the children, whereas in the next room there are still old doctor's cabinets. But it is exactly this combination that makes the excitement and the motives on the photo tour through the Kent School.
Long exposure, shadow play and darkness
As dark as it was from the history in parts, so dark are also parts of the buildings. To photograph the abandoned cellar vaults, was not for the faint of heart. With long exposure and a lot of patience, were finally made but then great shots. The old chapel was for me the absolute highlight of the photo tour through this lost place. Parts of the windows are still in the original and offer an impressive shadow play on the floor of the empty chapel.
A somewhat different excursion
This trip was one of the most exciting and best I have ever taken. If you are not yet so affine with the camera, you can either get assistance from a photographer or you can simply wander through the premises in another time.
This photo tour was something completely different. I was, and still am, totally enraptured. The story behind the Kent School and the uniqueness of every corner of this lost place simply impressed me. It's a shame that places like this are not kept up and can only be kept "alive" with difficulty. But the Kent School really offers an impressive location for photo tours and can therefore be preserved. I can only really recommend this tour to everyone. Whether alone, in pairs or with a slightly larger group. Take the opportunity to explore such a Lost Place NRW as the Kent School with a photo tour.
