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)

In this handout photograph received from Sumukha J.N on December 15, 2016, the newly-discovered spider Eriovixia Gryffindori sits on a leaf in the Kans in India's Western Ghats. (Photo by Sumukha J.N./AFP Photo)

Before sunrise there is a “Turneresque” sky over the abbey at the picturesque Wiltshire, England market town of Malmesbury on June 11, 2023. (Photo by Terry Mathews/Alamy Live News)

Revelers look at a cellphone during the annual street block party know as “Explode Coracao” on the third day of Carnival on February 19, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. According to the São Paulo City Council, during Carnival week more than 500 street blocks (blocos de rua) are held and more than 15 million people are expected to participate in them. Created in 2017, Explode Coracao is one of the most popular street blocks and attracted 150,000 revelers in its last edition, before the pandemic, in 2020. (Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images)

Reflected in an ornament, a reporter takes a photo of the White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room during a media preview of the holiday decor at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 29, 2016. (Photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

A lizard is seen hunting for fish during the daytime on May 04, 2017 in West Sumatra, Indonesia. (Photo by Riau Images/Barcroft Images)

Canada's Leylah Fernandez serves against Croatia's Donna Vekic during their women's singles match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Perth on December 28, 2024. (Photo by Colin Murty/AFP Photo)

Tour de France hostess wear face masks prior to the start of the first stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 156 kilometers (97 miles) with start and finish in Nice, southern France, Saturday, August 29, 2020. (Photo by Christophe Ena/AP Photo)