Switzerland's lead Nicole Schwaegli (L) and second Marisa Winkelhausen sweep during their curling round robin game against Japan at the World Women's Curling Championships in Sapporo March 14, 2015. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

A mother reacts as she pleads with police to allow her daughter to pass a checkpoint for cancer treatment after she arrived from Hubei province at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge in Jiujiang, China, February 1, 2020. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

Italy's #01 Valentina Gottardi waits for the ball in the women's pool A beach volleyball match between Italy and Egypt during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris on July 30, 2024. (Photo by Thomas Samson/AFP Photo)

White House Press Secretary James Brady and District of Columbia police officer Thomas Delahanty lie wounded on the ground after John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots at President Reagan outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC, on March 30, 1981. (Photo by Courtesy Reagan Library via Reuters)

Grand banqueting halls, opulent lobbies and vast ballrooms; you could easily be forgiven for thinking this was a collection of photographs was documenting some of Europe’s grandest hotels. However, a closer look will reveal the majestic rooms to be engulfed in swathes of dust and moss; hotels that once hosted royals and high society abandoned to the elements. This is the latest result of urban exploration photography, going beyond “no entry” signs to capture images of dilapidated buildings across Europe. IT worker Thomas Windisch, from Graz in Austria, indulged his passion for photography by traveling across the continent, visiting over 100 abandoned hotels along the way. Here: inside a hotel in Austria. (Photo by Thomas Windisch/Caters News)

Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station experiences months of darkness. The sun dips below the horizon on March 21, after which follows several weeks of twilight before complete darkness results. Photo taken on June 25, 2009. (National Science Foundation/Jeremy Johnson)

Whether they are the hunter or the hunted, these camouflage animals show natures incredible ability to blend in with its surroundings. Pictured perfectly concealed against their natural environment, the stunning pictures show the amazing lengths some animals will go to to stay out of sight. Here: The camouflage mappet moth looks like a fall lead in Switzerland. (Photo by Thomas Marent/Caters News/Ardea)

Marie Lou looks out of the window of gypsy folklore wagon on May 24, 2016 in Staintes Maries de la Mere near Arles, France. Gypsies from all over Europe worship “Sara the Black”, their Saint and patroness, for one week. Sara's statue is situated in the crypt of the church. She wears a multicoloured dress and will carried by the gypsies to the sea at this afternoon. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images)