Abandoned Old House, in Labruge (Portugal)steemCreated with Sketch.

in #aswcontest5 years ago (edited)

I was enjoying this contest a lot, a few months ago and I am glad to see @customnature reviving it, after having sort out his technological difficulties.

So here I am with an entry for the Abandoned Shit Weekly Contest - №.21 - 'Show & Tell'


During one of my walks, I took the off beaten path, which led me to an entrance of an abandoned old house.

I have chosen this decrepit house because it represents a big problem in my country. There are thousands of big mansions, palaces and huge houses left to rot, all over the country.

This serves as an example.

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At first I thought there was nothing left standing from the house... Just a messed up yard with a decayed little shack.

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There's something, some sort of structure still standing in the middle of the garden. I couldn't identify what it could have been.

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Well, that was a failed adventure, I thought to myself...


Until I saw there was a second entrance, a wide open door... What am I saying? There wasn't even a door anymore. 😂😂😂

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I went in to investigate. Here's how the main entrance looks like, after enduring years of all kinds of weather.

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The stairs to the first floor were in this exquisite condition.

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Below the stairs there was a small room, as tidy and clean as the rest of the house...

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Oh, you think this is bad? Just wait until you see the bathroom! Looks like a hurricane passed through.

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Not even the best cleaning lady in the world can fix this mess.

Next to the toilet there was a terrace. Or was it a living room? It doesn't matter. It's a terrace now. Saint Peter made sure of that.

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I didn't even dare to go to the window to take a photo of the yard, as the ground was caving in.


The tour to the house of the living dead was nearly over.

There was only one thing left to see in this criminally neglected property... The bedrooms.

The first one even has an artwork included. You really get more than you pay for, in this place! 😂😂😂

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And moving on to the last room, I was both in a state of shock and surprise, as it seems that someone was actually living here. 😲😱 😪

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That concluded my visit to this abandoned building.


I went out, thinking not only about the reasons someone would leave such a big house to rot, but also about the living soul that was in such a dire place that he (or she) was forced to live in such unsanitary conditions.

As I left, I've met a farmer who said the family got broke during the 80s and no one was ever interested in buying such a place. It's located in a rural area... And unfortunately, Farming is pretty much dead in this country.

Since there was no one willing to buy and the owners had no means to maintain it, what used to be a small palace... is now a public safety hazard.


CameraCanon IXUS 210
LocationLabruge, Vila do Conde - Portugal
Edited with GIMP

Please feel free to comment. I hope you enjoyed this post.


@trincowski signing out.

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Aw. What a shame @trincowski. That looks like it could be a really pretty house if somewhat wanted to renovate it. Or maybe it has gone beyond that now. 😢

Yes, I think it's beyond the point of no return. Now it needs to be demolished to give way for something new.

Thanks for your comment.

Wow, @trincowski.

We don't get a lot of economic news about Portugal, but I'm guessing this is part of a nationwide economic problem, or is it just tied to the rural areas? And what's happened to the farming? I guess some other country(ies) are exporting everything into Portugal?

As for the images, they tell the tale viscerally. I can only try to imagine how the owners felt realizing they would need to abandon that place. And I rather not know what would cause someone to live there in such dire circumstances.

I'm glad nothing happened while you were there, considering you didn't realize someone might be living there until you saw the last room. Chills up and down the spine at the point, is my guess. :)

First of all, thanks for your awesome comment, @glenalbrethsen!

I'm guessing this is part of a nationwide economic problem, or is it just tied to the rural areas?

Actually, it was the EU rules that led to a complete destruction of our farming and fishing industry. Before joining the EU, Portugal had enough fishing and farming to be independent from imports. But then the EU set up a system of quotas for each country... and we're forced to halt production. Now, we need to import those items.

The entrance in the EU was responsible for the development of other areas, though.

I'm glad nothing happened while you were there, considering you didn't realize someone might be living there until you saw the last room. Chills up and down the spine at the point, is my guess. :)

Spot on. It was quite scary.

The EU. I should have guessed that. However, we only seem to here about the 'positive' side of the EU, not necessarily the negative, other than when one country or another gets into crisis. I can't imagine the people at large are happy that entire industries have dried up simply by EU decree? I take it, farmers aren't even allowed to grow for themselves? And fisherman can't even fish for themselves or their families? What's happening to the fish then?

And are their other industries in Portugal that are like that, too? Anyone talking about an exit from the EU over this, or is it more like "What can we do?"

It's hard to understand what's the goal.

Just as an example. We used to have enough Cows for Meat and Dairy Products consumption.

Now... we still have a few Cows... but they are sold to countries like Israel. Go figure.

And are enough Cows left for the internal market? Obviously not. That's why we buy Cows from Poland.

If anyone can explain the logic of that, I appreciate. Because I don't.

The same thing happens with Apples, Pears, Shoes... you name it. Yes, we sell Shoes to Italy... and we buy shoes from Vietnam, Pakistan, India, China... Bangladesh.

Yeah. Interesting. I'd say that happens to some degree here in the states, too. I'd say what we buy from other countries, like China, is due more to economic factors, but I'm sure there is some government involvement with it.

In our case, though, even if we can't buy things made in our state (which doesn't happen a lot), the farming industry hasn't been shut down over it. However, the logging industry has been on the ropes for a while now, simply because the federal government owns a lot of the forests out here, either managed land or national parks. So, every year, a part of those trees end up burning down during fire season.

In that case, there is no goal, other than to destroy local economies through disallowing the logging and then destroying properties when the fires come through. I mean, that's a blunt way of putting it, but what else could the goal be? If it's something else, they're doing the opposite to achieve it.

These abandoned places make good subject for photographs. I must admit that usually I do not enter, maybe I'm afraid I might discover somebody still living there, like you did. My favorite photo is the side one, when you saw the second entrance. Good luck with the contest!

Thanks a lot for your comment. I usually explore but always looking over my shoulder. We never know what could be lurking in such places. 😉

Thanks for stopping by!

I can fill all of Steemit with photos of abandoned houses!


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I am sure the house once was a real nice looking house. Even now, abondoned it has character. Abandoned houses are intresting. We can only quess who has lived in the houses and how they have lived. Thank you. Great photoes that goes very well with your storry :)

It appeared to be a large house with a big backyard. Sad to see it completely gone like this.

So many abandoned houses that once was grand houses filled with life. They can look a bit ghostly...

I think you are definitely the winner for this contest. I am not sure I can join this one.

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If somebody actually living there at present, so there's no chances to hear any ghost story 😂 or urband legend from this abandoned house.

There's nothing worth to save from this place except the memories, a reason for not build a palace if you don't know how to keep it well maintained.

Yes, this is way beyond repair. The 1980's crisis, together with the restrictions imposed by the EU on agriculture and fishing, led many families to bankruptcy. They couldn't afford to take care of these big houses, even if they wanted to.

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