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)

Ahmad Sayed Rahman, a five-year-old Afghan boy who lost his right leg when he was hit by a bullet in the crossfire of a battle, dances with his prosthetic leg at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hospital for war victims and the disabled, in Kabul on May 7, 2019. (Photo by Wakil Kohsar/AFP Photo)

View from the Insta360 360 degree camera in the last decade of November 2023 attached to a satellite launched 500km into outer space. Chinese firm Insta360 say they have achieved “the first fully exposed camera in space” a feat which required a lot of preparation to get X2 ready for the harsh environment. (Photo by South West News Service)

Miss California Crystal Lee performs during the Miss America 2014 pageant, Sunday, September 15, 2013, in Atlantic City, N.J. (Photo by Mel Evans/AP Photo)

Personal trainer, Denise Austin, and Katie Austin arrive at the ESPY Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Wednesday, July 13, 2016, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Photo)

A man walks near a artwork of Italian artist Dario Agrimi entitled “ascesa” during a press preview of the first edition of “Roma Arte in Nuvola”, the international fair of modern and contemporary art in Rome on November 18, 2021 at the Roma Convention Center “La Nuvola”. (Photo by Tiziana Fabi/AFP Photo)

“The Glimmer Twins”, a statue of Rolling Stones Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards created by sculptor Amy Goodman (centre), is unveiled at One Bell Corner in Dartford, Essex, UK on Wednesday, August 9, 2023. The statue has been commissioned by Dartford Borough Council to celebrate two of the town's most famous former residents. (Photo by Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)

A member of the public wears a pandemic face mask ahead of the prime minister announcing the government's Covid-19 winter strategy on September 13, 2021 in Manchester, England. Tomorrow, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out his plan to manage Covid-19 through the winter, including what actions would need to be taken if the NHS hospital system were at risk of being overwhelmed. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)