Richardson Fremond leaps over a wall as he runs to collect an award during a graduation ceremony for the senior class of Chambers High School at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in Homestead, Fla. Forty-one seniors graduated from the school and crossed the start-finish line to receive their diplomas, during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo)

Toure, a Gambian salt harvester, holds a basket filled with the salt collected from the crust of the bottom of the Lake Retba (Pink Lake) in Senegal on March 16, 2021. Lake Retba, divided from the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow corridor of dunes, owes its name to the pink waters caused by the Dunaliella salina algae and is known for its high salt content, up to 40% in some areas. (Photo by Marco Longari/AFP Photo)

Polar frame, by Dmitry Kokh, Russia. When Kokh’s boat approached the small island of Kolyuchin in the Russian High Arctic, which had been abandoned by humans since 1992, he was surprised to spot movement in one of the houses. Binoculars revealed polar bears – more than 20 in total – exploring the ghost town. Dmitry used a low-noise drone to document them. (Photo by Dmitry Kokh/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022)

A woman holding a girl walks as police officers block the street during a rally called by the opposition leader Raila Odinga who claims the last Kenyan presidential election was stolen from him and blames the government for the hike of living costs in Kibera, Nairobi on March 27, 2023. Police fired tear gas to disperse anti-government protests on March 27, 2023 over the high cost of living, after the opposition vowed demonstrations would go ahead despite a police ban. (Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP Photo)

A man walks near a tree unrooted by high winds brought by Super Typhoon Saola in Causeway Bay in Hong Kong on September 1, 2023. Super Typhoon Saola threatened southern China on September 1 with some of the strongest winds the region has endured, forcing the megacities of Hong Kong and Shenzhen to effectively shut down. (Photo by Mladen Antonov/AFP Photo)

Kashmiri Muslim brides sit during a mass marriage of 30 couples in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, February 21, 2024. Mass weddings in India are organized by social organizations primarily to help economically weaker families who cannot afford the high ceremony costs as well as the customary dowry and expensive gifts that are still prevalent in many communities. (Photo by Mukhtar Khan/AP Photo)

A firefighter is seen next to flames while working to extinguish a wildfire burning in Gondomar, northern Portugal on July 29, 2025. Almost 2,000 firefighters battled on July 29, 2025 to contain forest blazes across Portugal that have led to almost the whole country being put on high alert for fires. Ten major fires blazed with two in the north and three in the centre of the country causing most concern. (Photo by Carlos Costa/AFP Photo)

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)