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)

“These creepy pictures of abandoned asylums, prisons and schools give a sense of what life was like in institutions of 20th century America. Photographer Daniel Barter, 30, captured on film bowling alleys, theatres and hairdressing salons all completely intact. The Londoner was on travelling through Americas north eastern states when he had the chance to explore the derelict public buildings left untouched since their last inhabitants shut the doors”. – Caters News. Photo: Salon equipment inside a sanatorium in New York. (Photo by Daniel Barter/Caters News)

Miners work extremely long days under the hot sun and the hours are often longer in illegal mines in Ghana, West Africa, 2014. An Australian photographer has captured the harsh reality of illegal mining under the unforgiving sun with these Ghanaian miners. (Photo by Heidi Woodman/Barcroft Images)

Vivian Odhiambo, 24, frys samosas in the trading centre of Kogelo, west of Kenya's capital Nairobi, July 14, 2015. Odhiambo said, “Obama is our hero and we wait to welcome him back home again. We in Kogelo have witnessed general growth and we are proud of being associated with the Obamas”, she added. As U.S. President Barack Obama visits Kenya, a personal connection to his father's birthplace of Kogelo dominates a trip that Kenyans view as a native son returning home. Residents from a herdsman to a housewife share their views on what Obama has achieved and what they would like to see next. (Photo by Thomas Mukoya/Reuters)

Revellers in fancy dress enjoy the atmosphere during the British Fancy Dress Day on November 12, 2015 in Benidorm, Spain. The British Fancy Dress Day is one of the biggest fancy dress parties in Europe and is held the day after the Benidorm fiestas in November. The tradition started over 20 years ago when Manolo from Sinatras Club offered a free drink to anyone who dress up. Nowadays around 30,000 people, mostly British Expats living in Spain and tourists visiting the Costa Blanca resorts, attends, attend the event. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Sushi Cats (originally branded as Neko-Sushi) is a series of photographs created by the Japan-based company Tange & Nakimushi Peanuts. In this series the creators have dressed up a number of cats and placed them on top of oversized balls of sushi rice. The kitties don’t look too happy with what is going on, though they do look adorable in their little outfits. Tange & Nakimushi Peanuts didn’t think that making a set of photos was enough, so they’ve also created an Android and iPhone apps featuring Sushi Cats. Moreover, people living in Japan can visit their website, if they wish to order photo prints, postcards, and other items. (Photo by Tange & Nakimushi Peanuts)

These stunning images reveal the remains of a more than century-old sunken ship that has been preserved beneath freezing Lake Superior. The ship looks almost exactly the same as it did the day it sunk beneath waves all those years ago. At 60 meters long (approximately 198 feet), the «Gunilda» sunk after it struck some rocks and was not saved. Now, these stunning images have been captured 107 years after the sinking when a small group of divers revisited the vessel. (Photo by Becky Kagan Schott/Caters News Agency)

In this August 17, 2016, photo, from left to right, Chhering Chodom, 60, Tashi Yangzom, 50, Lobsang Chhering, 27, and Dorje Tandup, 58, drink milk tea on the side of the road. For centuries, the sleepy valley nestled in the Indian Himalayas remained a hidden Buddhist enclave forbidden to outsiders. Enduring the harsh year-round conditions of the high mountain desert, the people of Spiti Valley lived by a simple communal code – share the Earth's bounty, be hospitable to neighbors, and eschew greed and temptation at all turns. That's all starting to change, for better or worse. (Photo by Thomas Cytrynowicz/AP Photo)