County prison, Turku, Finland

Visited 2.3.2012 by skkye & jonahi. The notorious county prison of Turku has served as a summertime tour museum since 2007, the year in which the prison action had been discontinued. It is constructed mainly in the latter half of 19th century, and has a bad reputation among old Finnish prisons, because the prisoners were the most bad criminals - recidivists that had done their crimes over and over again. The most dangerous criminals of Finland have all sat here. Some prisoners were forced to complete isolation and compulsory treatment. Loud speaking was prohibited everywhere. In the prison there were 350 prisoner places, but usually the number of prisoners went over 400 and the cells became more and more cramped. The prison was also used as military barracks for a couple of years. Granite of the grey main building is mined from the same area.

The atmosphere was very dreary around the prison. The distress of the prisoners and their bad acts remained in the air of the place, and I could sense that. One door was open, and we could see a small reception hall from the inside. There were high fences, security cameras and barbed wire everywhere and I also had a feeling of big brother watching us. More welcoming were other beautiful old buildings and the apartments of prison staff.

/ Edit: Added two photos more. - skkye

Block of flats, Turku, Finland

Visited 2.3.2012 by skkye & jonahi. Wanted to post something, and I remembered that in early March we were trying to get in a couple of places here in Turku. The light of days was very blue then. This apartment block house is one of those places we didn't succeed to get in. All the doors and windows were tightly closed. One of the sympathetic written texts also says "It's cold outside and the doors are LOCKED?".
The house has been empty and in "renovation" for a few years and I'm not sure if the renovation will ever take place. I think that this is again one of the so called "Turku disease" houses, that are in good parts of the city. These buildings are left to rotten so that they can be demolished. Then the city can sell the lots for companies that build fine and expensive houses for rich people.

Office block (part 2), Madrid, Spain

I loved the well painted graffitis there, and the views from the rooftop over Madrid were amazing. Definitely the best of my so-called urbex career! The second place goes to the match factory's rooftop in Tampere. One thing that I'm curious about was those antennas on the roof. Why would somebody put antennas on the house that isn't even completed? Interesting. But I have to admit that I didn't even go to the highest point of the roof. There were scary ladders and I could see the ground from them, eww...

And the second thing is, where have our readers and their comments disappeared? You seem to like Finnish places better than these from abroad, or am I wrong?