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)

An employee of Daikin Industries Ltd works the production line of outdoor air conditioning units at the company's Kusatsu factory in Shiga prefecture, western Japan March 20, 2015. As Japan heads into the season of peak demand for room air-conditioners, Daikin managers have been tasked with figuring out how to boost output by some 20 percent at the 45-year-old Kusatsu plant that six years ago the company had almost given up on as unprofitable. (Photo by Yuya Shino/Reuters)

An orangutan named “Pacquiao” dressed in a Santa Claus costume reacts as he joins an “Animal Christmas Party” at the Malabon zoo in suburban Malabon, north of Manila, Philippines Monday, December 21, 2015. The Malabon Zoo is one of the largest private collections of exotic and endemic animals in the Philippines. (Photo by Aaron Favila/AP Photo)

Situated 10km outside Nairobi city centre, this private giraffe sanctuary is centred around a colonial manor house named Giraffe Manor. Living within the grounds is a herd of rare Rothschild giraffe. The giraffes visit twice a day searching for food, before returning to the forest. Although still wild animals, they have become accustomed to receiving treats from residents and guests. (Photo by Klaus Thymann)

The Costa Verde hotel. It is a fully outfitted two bedroom, Boeing 727 suite in Costa Rica. Located within tropical rainforest, Hotel Costa Verde’s rather unusual fuselage suite consists of a refurbished vintage 1965 Boeing 727 airframe. The aircraft was part of South-Africa Air in her previous life. Sitting atop a 50-foot pedestal just beyond a majestic national park, the remodelled jumbo jet’s interior is entirely Costa Rican teak panelling with Indonesian teak furniture and also features a private entrance up a river rock.

France s first brothel featuring sеx dolls opened on January 29, 2018 in Paris, France. The brothel has several rooms where customers can purchase the services of a silicone sеx doll instead of a prostitute. Several models of dolls are available. (Photo by Christophe Bertolin/IP3/Getty Images)

The project “1000 Shadows” by the street artist Herbert Baglione, who populates abandoned places around the world with strange and misty shadows and creatures… His latest creations are set in the empty rooms of an old abandoned psychiatric hospital in the city of Parma in Italy, which further increases the fascinating and frightening ambiance of his creations.

Felice Varini is a Swiss artist who was nominated for the 2000/2001 Marcel Duchamp Prize, known for his geometric perspective-localized paintings in rooms and other spaces, using projector-stencil techniques. According to mathematics professor and art critic Joël Koskas, “A work of Varini is an anti-Mona Lisa”.