Abandoned: Château de Vaurouault

Today’s weekly challenge is just perfect for me as I’ve been highly interested in the subject of abandoned places and things. The practice of going into forbidden, rundown, and closed locations is known as urban exploration or urbex for short. When I travel I try to find these places but to be honest, it can be very difficult to find and even if you do, they are closed and locked up.

Sometimes, it can be downright dangerous going solo for a photo shoot because you simply don’t know what environmental dangers lurk around the corner. Floors, staircases and walls can be so old and in such poor condition they can prove to be incredibly hazardous. Even worse, you may never know what criminal element may be squatting in that old building. It’s best to bring a buddy along to watch your back.

In Frehel in Brittany, France we were taken by my sister-in-law to a place that she always loved. She jokes that if she had a million euros she would purchase the place and fix it up. This abandoned piece of land is called Château de Vaurouault. Little is known about it. I tried searching online for any info. Her son was able to tell me that it once belonged to someone very important (some aristocrat or someone from the military) many many years ago and now lies in a state of ruin.

I don’t know if anyone owns it now but we did see some signs of some minor restoration. Peeking inside the broken windows we saw no one inside. The was a tractor in the old, decrepit barn but that was about it.

We walked around the grounds, fighting through overgrown brush and weeds. The surrounding property was very vast but poorly maintained. I wish I had more info on this place but these pictures are all I can offer.