Only the most intrepid urban explorers cross the tattered ruins of the old Iron Curtain to endure the excessive bureaucracy, military paranoia and freezing winds of the East to hunt for the ghosts of an empire. Rebecca Litchfield is one who couldn’t resist the haunting allure of the ruins of the Soviet Union.

A girl stands with arms outstretched at North Narrabeen on January 27, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. Around 30 indigenous children from Brewarrina, Weilmoringle, and Goodooga in the far North West NSW travelled to Sydney to participate in the program. The initiative is part of the Bush to Beach programme, which now in its 19th year, gives indigenous children a unique opportunity to learn and explore Sydney's beach culture. (Photo by Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

The interior of the ship's bridge on the yacht Galeb is seen in the port city of Rijeka, December 16, 2015. Rijeka announced plans to convert the yacht Galeb used by Yugoslavia's communist leader Josip Broz Tito into a floating museum moored in the city's harbour. Now in disrepair, the 117-metre ship was an iconic symbol of luxury and used by Tito from the 1950s until his death in 1980 to entertain world leaders and celebrities, including the likes of Khruschev, Gaddafi, Indira Gandhi, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. (Photo by Antonio Bronic/Reuters)

“The Trabant is a car that was produced by former East German auto maker VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau in Zwickau, Sachsen. It was the most common vehicle in East Germany, and was also exported to countries both inside and outside the communist bloc. The main selling points was that it had room for four adults and luggage in a compact, light and durable shell and that it was fast (when introduced) and durable. With its mediocre performance, smoky two-stroke engine, and production shortages, the Trabant is often cited as an example of the disadvantages of centralized planning; on the other hand, it is regarded with derisive affection as a symbol of the failed former East Germany and of the fall of communism (in former West Germany, as many East Germans streamed into West Berlin and West Germany in their Trabants after the opening of the Berlin Wall in 1989). It was in production without any significant changes for nearly 30 years with 3,096,099 Trabants produced in total”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Enthusiasts weared in uniforms of the former eastern german army trive in a military Trabant car as fans and owners of East German-era Trabant cars gather at the 2011 International Trabantfahrer Treffen (International Trabant Drivers Meeting) on June 26, 2011 in Zwickau, Germany. The Trabant, also known as the Trabi, was among the main cars produced in communist East Germany and built by VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke in Zwickau for 30 years until 1989. Today the car has cult status for many followers and one company, IndiKar, is even seeking to revive the brand in a modern, electric version. (Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images)

KidZania provides children and their parents a safe, unique, and very realistic educational environment that allows kids between the ages of four to twelve to do what comes naturally to them: role-playing by mimicking traditionally adult activities. As in the real world, children perform “jobs” and are either paid for their work (as a fireman, doctor, police officer, journalist, shopkeeper, etc.) or pay to shop or to be entertained. The indoor theme park is a city built to scale for children, complete with buildings, paved streets, vehicles, a functioning economy, and recognizable destinations in the form of “establishments” sponsored and branded by leading multi-national and local brands.

A member of the Acorda Capoeira (Awaken Capoeira) group performs on a rooftop in the Rocinha favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 24, 2016. In a favela with a history of violence between police and drug gangs, or armed battles between traffickers themselves, capoeira is an outlet that gives kids a sense of community – its practice a collective exercise blending characteristics of drum circles, sparring and tag-team gymnastics. (Photo by Bruno Kelly/Reuters)

A journalist reports on a ladder outside the Great Hall of the People during the opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, China March 5, 2018. The NPC has over 3,000 delegates and is the world's largest parliament or legislative assembly though its function is largely as a formal seal of approval for the policies fixed by the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. The NPC runs alongside the annual plenary meetings of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), together known as “Lianghui” or “Two Meetings”. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

A Mongolian Shamaness or Buu, beats her drum while taking part with others in a fire ritual meant to summon spirits to mark the period of the Summer Solstice in the grasslands on June 22, 2018 outside Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Banned for 70 years under Communist rule, shamanism has seen a resurgence in Mongolia since 1992, when the ancient practice became protected by the country's Constitution. Known as Tengrism, in which Shamans channel ancestral spirits, it is widely regarded as Mongolia's national religion and part of its indigenous identity. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)