Follow to Explore (2026)

03/06/2022

Abandoned Barbarossa Imperial Palace:
Ruins or remains of the history?

The Imperial Palace that once belonged to Barbarossa dates back to the 8th century. Unfortunately, nothing is left from that construction and we can only imagine what it looked like in those days.

The castle which ruins we see today was built by Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa in 1184. He moved the Rhine toll from Tiel (currently a Dutch city) to Kaiserswerth thus the necessity of a strong fortress appeared. It was a perfect location as here, in Kaiserswerth, 2 important trade routes intercrossed.

The complex included a 3-floor palace with a donjon in the middle surrounded by thick walls. The donjon hasn't survived till this day but one can see a place marked where it is supposed to be. The main entrance was in the northeast tower named Kleverturm as it overlooked the road going to the city of Kleve. Both surrounding walls were well protected by the river from one side and a deep ditch from another side.

During the dispute over the succession in the 13th c, the War of the Palatinate Succession in the 17th c., and the War of the Spanish Succession in the 18th c. the fort was sieged and attacked multiple times. It was blown up, rebuilt, extended and ruined again.

In the 19th c., the stones from the fortress and a castle were used for the urban construction of the city. Sadly, the eastern wall of the fort was destroyed to the ground in order to build a city hall. Though in the beginning of the 20c., people understood the importance of the historical place and some restoration works were performed. They managed to save the parts that we can see today.

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You can breathe history here. Just touch these stones and your imagination brings you more than 10 centuries back. You picture how eastern part and donjon looked like as the wars and history wiped them off the face of the earth.

You go around. Here, surrounded by tall trees, is where the main entrance used to be. Emperor Barbarossa himself, all in steel armour passed across this bridge to Kleverturm tower and then up to the second floor where the ballroom used to be with a wide balcony overlooking Rhine.

The outside surface of the walls still keeps the marks remaining from the cannonballs of one of the sieges. People and wars left the most part of the place in ruins but at the same time you feel so much of respect to the part that survived through so many centuries and disasters, the part the saw the rise and decline of empires, the part that still keep so many undisclosed stories and secrets.

18/05/2022

Glory of Past Days: Hal Ferh resort

The soil of this place is soaked in history. Ghajn Tuffieha Military Camp was built there in the late 19th century and for more than 60 years it was one of the most significant places for military training of British forces. Later on, following the boost of tourism, the camp was turned into Hal Ferh holiday complex in 1970s. Now, place beloved by many, keeps its glory only in memories

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The place looks like a small town with winding paths connecting arched complexes and isolated bungalows.You keep following the paths and trying not to get lost though the area is so extensive that at the end you don’t know where you are.

One of the complexes with holes instead of windows and ceiling that is about to collapse at any moment has a spiral bright yellow staircase leading to the rooftop. From there you can easily observe the territory but even then you cannot see its limits.

The wind is blowing fallen flowers and the sound of rustling leaves muffles all the noises from the outside creating a surrealistic atmosphere of some inner world. Overgrown lawns hide chipped sculptures and fountains adding some melancholy to the overall picture.

Some paths are prohibited to enter with a “danger” sign and you prefer to avoid them for good knowing that these bungalows are full of asbestos. Going further on you spot a burnt down restaurant. It’s hard to tell why and when the fire started but this particular smell is still here.

Finally you end almost where you’ve started. You recognize the chain of pools and the stage for cabaret nights that you saw in the old photos. But those were full of life and colours with people sharing big smiles and laughs. Now it looks like even the colours of reality have faded: the place is empty and dull.

Was the reason to close the place asbestos or fire, maybe both? But now the place stays vandalised and abandoned though hopefully will never be forgotten.

11/05/2022

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06/05/2022

Old Dockyard Chronicles

Somewhere at the rear end of Paola, there is an old dockyard warehouse with its windows blocked up and crooked doors hanging on broken hinges.

You step in the complete darkness and wait a few seconds until your eyes will get used to it. Slowly you climb up the stairs and start to look around. Rooms are big and spacious. The light of the torch casts creepy shadows on dirty walls. There are wooden empty boxes standing on each other and you almost hit them. The imprints on them faded and it’s impossible to say what they kept inside.

You get to another room through a hole in the wall. It’s filled with light thanks to tall arched windows without glass. Lifting gear, all brownish rusty, hasn’t been used for decades. You are even afraid to touch it as it seems that one touch may turn it into dust.

Bags, cylinders, tools - all left unattended. And you leave it all behind as you keep going up the stairs to a spacious rooftop overseeing the bay. It’s windy here and the wind is so strong that it makes tears appear in your eyes. You take another glance at the sea in front of you and go slowly back filled with satisfaction from finding another memorable gem.

27/04/2022

Ghost City
Abandoned Mistra Village

Back in time, Mistra Village was a popular place but now, fully abandoned, it reminds a Ghost City.
Built in the late 60s, the place was planned as an apartment complex for retired British couples. But in mid-70s Corinthia Group bought the place and turned it into one of the most prestigious hotels of that time. There were modern rooms with a breathtaking view, pool, bars and restaurants - all to make you feel comfortable.

Now, burnt and vandalised, the main complex looks like an anthill with hundred exits. You go up and down, carefully looking at what is left: some broken chairs and tables, metal bed frames and a few dusty personal belongings. All the rest was either taken or destroyed long time ago.

Your way is covered with leaves and thorns but as you push them aside, you notice an entrance on the lowest level. It takes a few minutes for your eyes to get adapted to the darkness of a spacious room. You look down and see columns around what used to be a swimming pool. Down the stairs there are squash courts and bathrooms. Some record books are left unattended on the floor, membership cards and flyers. They bring memories. They bring warm and happy memories to people who used to stay there.

You climb back up. On the roof of the sports complex there is a basketball court with an amazing view. You sit down to rest and observe all that remained from those days, all empty Ghost City.

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17/04/2022

Abandoned Matchbox Factory

“Modern Match Factory Marsa” as it was called was built in the 1950s and operated for decades. Even now you can find some boxes in collections of locals. The foundation year can still be seen on the facade though the inscription has been lost when the place was left to decay.

Inside the place is full of leftovers, materials, box stickers, matches and, apparently, homeless people who use it as their shelter.

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Heavy clouds turn the sky into all shades of steel. Inside the factory, it’s dark and the hole in the ceiling doesn’t make it any lighter. The place is full of noises that make you feel like a character of a scary movie who goes somewhere he shouldn’t. You hear rain drops hitting the rooftop and the wind coming through the holes and making the loose hanging fabric move.

Noises. Shadows. All that makes shiver run up and down your spine but armed with a flashlight you keep exploring the territory. Matches, boxes and stickers are scattered on the dirty floor. One of the rooms has an old timer that still works. Probably it measured time for preparation. In another room, there are boxes full of yellow granules that glow slightly in the dark.

Stairs lead you to the second floor. Not much is left there to identify the purpose of the rooms. And while you’re reading one of the documents on the floor, the door opens with a creaking sound and you see some shadow behind. You are not alone here. Avoiding acquaintances with local homeless people, you hurry up to get out of the factory and disappear in the rain wall.

03/04/2022

State of Decay: abandoned petrol station

In the near future, electric cars will replace gas car and probably the number of abandoned petrol stations will increase. But even today, Follow to Explore came across one of such and we are happy to share some photos with you.

The station seems to be disposed of wastes as you can see pipes dug out of the ground. The area is not that big and half of it was used as a filling station with empty cylinders around, and another half as a facility with various electrical panels rooms and generators. But what attracts attention straightaway is Scania truck, without its fuel tank though but in an excellent state.

Do you think it’s safe to leave petrol stations abandoned like this even though they were cleaned and disposed of wastes?

25/03/2022

Villa Xemxija: memories of the past

You never know how many ghosts are hiding behind attractive facades. They stay still for years showing their best angles. But as you peek through a window, you can see it looks like a broken toy house. It grins ugly with the rusty metal bars, all that remained from the second floor.

In contrast to it, marble columns and arches remained of better days. The walls of several rooms are black covered with ashes. It smells like melted plastic even years later. That fire must have been the reason this house turned into such a ruined state and was abandoned later.

Villa had a lovely inner yard with sculptures that are now broken into pieces and mixed with the trash left either by the owners or squatters. There are stairs going to the second level of a garden that used to be an elegant place, an escape from busy life to nature. Now it turned into another jungle.

Who knows why the place in such a state still stays there. Maybe the owners have left forever or maybe they cannot let the memories of the past go. Despite all the reasons, it would be better to time the jungle and convert all the area into a garden.

17/03/2022

Urban Jungle

Malta surprises you with its weather, its history…but also it surprises you with a number of abandoned and derelict places around. You can go up and down central or side streets and see 10, 15, 20 abandoned houses in the same street.

You can find such urban jungles in every town and Msida is no exception. As per unwritten rules, location cannot be disclosed, but just look at this complex of abandoned flats. All of them seem to be left just yesterday. Only a thick layer of dust and dirt, and a calendar on the wall tell you that these were uninhabited for years if not decades. And each one tells you its story. One belonged to a pigeon races participant, another one belonged to a hunter, a taxidermist. So many stories left to rot, so many places that could be used.

24/02/2022

St Lawrence Church: Abandoned church on a hill

On the very top of the hill, somewhere in Siggiewi, there is a beautiful garden. It looks like nobody entered it for years. The thorns wrap around the bars of the gate like barbed wire preventing curious strangers from peeking inside.

But inside, there is an arched edifice with a marble slab stating “Non Gode L’Immunita Ecclesias” meaning that criminals cannot find their shelter in the church. You step inside and see that it’s an old and small chapel. The altar is beautifully decorated and there are two coats of arms above the doorways.

Spiral staircase leads you up to the upper gallery. The wood floor bends under every step. Overall, it seems that it’s living its last days. Seems like the church was abandoned years ago. The walls are still covered with paint somewhere and somewhere with mold. The adjacent rooms have been used as storage lately as they are full of irrelevant objects: from the kid’s bicycle to gardening instruments.

It’s sad to see this sacred place in such a neglected state but it still gives you some feeling of comfort and consolation.

17/02/2022

Empire Stadium: Faded Memory

The centre of all spectrum of emotions: from rage to joy, from anxiety to proudness. Now, Empire Stadium remains only in memories.

During the First World War, the RAF used the area as a balloon station. A few years later, in 1922, a stadium was opened in Gzira with the capacity of 30 000 people. Famous for its sandy pitch, it hosted many important football and not only matches. It served as a ground for motor-cycling, athletics and boxing matches. Such teams as Leeds, Manchester United, Juventus, Internazionale, Celtic, Real Madrid and Barcelona played here during major European Competitions.

The stadium closed its gates in 1981 when MFA matches were transferred to a new Ta' Qali Stadium. Looking at the photos of the past, you feel nostalgic and sad at the same time as it’s hard to believe that the stadium looked so impressive compared to its present state. All the remains: the wall around it, a few seats and what probably used to be changing rooms. The prominent pitch is buried under grass, thorns and ruins.

Have you been at the Empire Stadium back in the day?

11/02/2022

Abandoned LPG depot. Enemalta

Everyone who has been living in Malta for at least a few months, have definitely heard that loud beeping in the morning coming from a truck full of green cylinders supplying every household with LPG. Even though all operations are controlled by Liquigas, Enemalta (gas division) is still responsible for importation and bottling of LPG.

For a long time, from 1959 till 2012, LPG depot of Enemalta was located in Qajjenza, Birzebbuga. After multiple complaints from the local council and citizens, in 2013 it was decommissioned and moved to Bengħajsa.

Enemalta cleared the place from all hazardous materials and removed the tanks but the rest of it remains abandoned. There are storages on one side, gas tank support and all offices left untouched. One block was given to the workers. While all personal belongings are taken, each locker retains a distinctive touch. You can assume that one of the workers was a fan of horse racing, as his locker was covered with horses and jockeys from top to bottom. The other could have been a fan of football as there are cards of Alessandro Del Piero and other Italian players on the door. In another room, there are documents and records of the former glory of the company, plans, manuals and instructions.

The place is abandoned, but all these small details keep telling you the history.

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