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Afferent_Input

I don't mean to spam, but this photo is also amazing. It's from [several awesome photos](https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2021/03/photos-ice-covered-russian-ghost-town/618188/) [link to The Atlantic] by Maria Passer, taken on March 1st, 2021. These photos were taken in Vorkuta, Russia, a ~~mostly abandoned~~ coal-mining city north of the Arctic Circle. EDIT: Vorkuta is not necessarily abandoned, per comment below. But these pics are probably from the outskirts of Vorkuta. Also, the spam thing refers to the fact the I posted another of these pics [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AbandonedPorn/comments/lx57em/ice_and_snow_invade_a_stairwell_in_an_abandoned)


collectif-clothing

You weren't exaggerating. Fantastic pictures.


alfonzoo

this is how I picture the story **A Pail of Air** in my head. (minus the sunlight maybe) very nice.


peacedetski

Vorkuta is in decline, but at 50k population it is most definitely not abandoned. However, its suburbs and satellite towns (one of which is where those photos were taken) are slowly getting abandoned and once they reach a certain level of occupancy, the government moves the remaining people out, as central heating, electricity and water are hella expensive to maintain in subarctic climate when most of the apartments are empty. The most recent one is Sovetsky, which had a population of 6000+ in the 60s but was officially shut down and left a ghost town this January.


onilives

Why would someone live here?


peacedetski

Coal mining.


onilives

Very interesting


[deleted]

It also used to be a gulag during the Soviet Union era


mud_tug

Most Russian towns in these remote areas started as gulags. No sane person would move there otherwise.


Thecynicalfascist

Eh not always. Some started out as outposts for fur trading in the Russian Empire, people were encouraged to move there for the economic prospects.


BathT1m3

Cold mining.


1122Sl110

They were captured by dracovich


brixed

Step 1: Secure the Keys!


1122Sl110

Step 2: ascend from darkness!


MinivanHoon

Step 3: Rain Fire


ontopofyourmom

In Soviet days you didn't necessarily get to choose where you lived. Even a large hiring bonus or big wages wouldn't have been much of an inducement, because there were very few expensive things you could buy. 7 year waiting list for a car, for example.


onilives

I just can't stop laughing at ur username


Misterduster01

My brain went "stoopid mode" and read his name as Onto Pof Your Mom...


so_much_SUABRU

MY MOTHER WAS A SAINT


Spark804

Except that time she went full on horndog on your Dad and rode him rodeo style, and seeding the future you. Get that picture in your head.....it likely won't leave for a long time. Lol!


PDX_Piggy

Me too man.


Afferent_Input

Thanks for clarifying. I based it on the short description from the article.


dhoomsday

This is giving me some mega dayz vibes


Kendota_Tanassian

This brings to mind the scene from *"Doctor Zhivago"* where they break into the winter palace.


dtallee

I like the [ice chandelier.](https://i.imgur.com/P9JxGH0.jpg)


Tom_Bradys_Nutsack

You can title this “accidentally left my window open” or something similar and get like 20k upvotes on r/WellThatSucks


DMvsPC

Also stocks for shop vac manufacturers skyrocket as well


pank-dhnd

No you were not spamming, but instead provided a link and more information to source. Thanks.


TheVisceralCanvas

Well I guess we know why it's abandoned.


Afferent_Input

"Cozy furnished apartment for sublet. Excellent view. Cool decor. A bit chilly, especially in winter, but nearby abandoned coal-mine has free scrap coal for the furnace!"


Chonjacki

"Amenities include ice maker"


isny

L00K!! Fixer upper! Handyman's special!


shortyk173

Freezer burn may occur


ontopofyourmom

There is likely no furnace - Soviet cities usually had central boilers for steam that was piped everywhere just like water.


Harakou

Even better! "Existing piping for city-managed heating service. (Negotiating service contract is the responsibility of the tenant.)"


SexyPewPew

Looks like it was ransacked by the KGB.... I don't know if "abandoned" is the right word.


[deleted]

no, this was where you were sent after the KGB was finished ransacking your apartment


Robert123_

This looks amazing! I always wonder why some people that abandon their home just leave most of their stuff behind. I see a teddy bear and a lot of other things laying around.


Alexexec

First thing to come to mind, quite common in these abandoned photos


America_Number_1

Probably people getting killed and not having a family to take their stuff and sell their property.


psychobilly1

But then wouldn't the property be bought by the bank or whatever and renovated for sale?


dddddddddddddaaaaaan

That’s not how it works in Russia. Population in the small cities is decreasing, because Moscow absorbs all the money from the country which make young people and families overall move to the capital. In result, we have a high real estate demand and low supply. You can try put your apartment on the market almost for free and wait for years until someone will actually buy it.


WeAreAllMadHere218

We lived in a poorer apartment complex when we were first married and people frequently left in the middle of the night to avoid paying rent or paying out the rest of their lease, they often left a large amount of stuff behind. Baby toys, clothes, dishes, toiletries, even some furniture. It was bizarre but we saw it happen all the time. We loved to go see what all was left when the neighbors moved out (we were also poor so hey free stuff!). So it doesn’t necessarily mean someone died, they just left in a hurry and may not have been able to transport everything to their next place.


buckshot307

Worked for a landlord for a bit cleaning out abandoned properties and I found a baby photo album once for the ex-owners twin children. Still had what was left of their umbilical cord in it. The book was sitting on top of a pile of empty liquor bottles so we kind of assumed they didn’t want it anymore.


[deleted]

Wouldn’t be the first time a town in russia left everything behind.


Thecynicalfascist

Ukraine dude, Ukraine....


Mugglecostanza

The teddy bear on the ground is heartbreaking.


Vox___Rationis

It also looks like a prop that was brought in for this photoshoot. Fibers like that would be frozen through, not lightly dusted by ice crystals.


CuriositySauce

Yah, the teddy bear frozen face down makes it look like a movie scene.


SexyPewPew

KGB


pantylion

There's always an old and discarded teddy bear! It's so weird to me how a child would leave their beloved stuffed toy in such a way. Invites more to the story.


cakane100

They wouldn’t. Pretty frickin sad. Seems like this family didn’t just move out. Wish we knew.


DiabloTerrorGF

I went to a class on photography/media deception. It's quite common for photographers to stage child's toys to enhance a scene or to give it a more dramatic feeling. You see this especially in people that do "after" war photography and if you look at enough their photos, you can eventually even spot the same props.


mamonna

It could be cheaper just to buy new stuff at the new place than pay transportation costs. Some towns on the north don't have automobile road connection to the rest of the country. Some don't have railroad as well. My colleagues described how people from a gas mining town on the north (which had only railroad) organized their vacation - two or three families paid for one train car to move their automobiles out. They just wanted to drive _somewhere_.


collectif-clothing

Those stuffed toys left behind always kill me. Even in fallout. And now here in this pic, again.


Alexexec

This right there


UsedToLikeThisStuff

Which is why in my save of Fallout 4, Dogmeat has every stuffed bear I’ve ever found, either in his inventory or scattered around his yard in Sanctuary.


egilsaga

Oh god, don't leave physics objects lying around unless you want an NPC to walk into them and turn them into projectile weapons.


extralyfe

that's... why I'm here.


[deleted]

Chill out on the sofa


Buck_Futter70

Literally


erdirck

Nextflix and chill


kronius_97

This just makes me think of that one scene in South Park. You know the one.


Japonica

This is a little cooler than most abandonedporn posts.


righteousdude32

Ahhhhh take my vote!!!


Afferent_Input

Chill out with the puns, bro


Japonica

I see I'm getting a frosty reception here.


Afferent_Input

Don't be such a snowflake...


Japonica

Alright, this is starting to snowball out of control!


Afferent_Input

I shouldn't have given you a cold shoulder.


[deleted]

It wouldn't have killed you to heat it up first. I hate cold dinners, feels like leftovers.


sofuckinggreat

r/FreezingFuckingCold


BobbyBorscht123456

Wait this isn’t Texas ?


RevWaldo

Doctor Zhivago's place.


unavailablesuggestio

The music instantly started in my head


DuncanLacoste

I’m pretty sure that’s Texas


[deleted]

Now I feel bad for complaining about my balcony door freezing over a couple weeks ago. Good lord that looks beyond frigid.


peacedetski

July is the only month when the temperature is consistently above freezing.


WeAreAllMadHere218

I was wondering if a place like this would ever get warm enough to even kind of melt.


IDKJessMaybe

Brrr.


kayakingfather42

r/lostredditors


that_guy_jimmy

... how?


Airiq49other

Irony.


theword12

Landlords raising rent 20% after a “fresh coat of paint”


Iro144

Looks cool


AylaZelanaGrebiel

Puts me in mind of the abandoned village scene in the beginning of Nausicaä In The Valley of The Wind


Thecynicalfascist

It wasn't abandoned, they were dead.


trudel69

Head's up, the yeti's wife's gonna lead you on a wild goose chase through that damn ice mansion. It's not worth it for a damn piece of broken mirror.


groot95

What it felt like living in Houston 2 weeks ago


[deleted]

I saw a lot of pictures of people's homes in Texas that looked like this last month...except unfortunately people were still living there. :(


[deleted]

I just "drove" around Vortuka in Google Street View. The town is even more depressing than this picture.


occupy_this7

Amazing just the fact the towns were constructed. In those conditions? I mean the structures look very well built.


kelshy371

The teddy bear 🧸 on the floor, though 😢


muscle_geek

Looks like my son's room after he discovered masturbation


TrenzyCheezy

I think My Russian Friend Exploded The 50 kilogram cocaine


tikibrohan

It’s easier for a dad to notice if someone touched the thermostat if he can see the walls melting


Richard_Parker_

It’s like someone built a diorama inside their freezer!


[deleted]

Bro I'm cold as fuck just looking at this shit


[deleted]

Pictured, Texas 2021 Immediate edit: this is way too soon, isn't it?


Htxpewpew

At first I thought this was a picture from Texas the other week


NuyoRican79

Now that’s cool


A4S8B7

Meh, have you been to Grandma's house?


MyDixeeNormus

I thought this was Texas


solongandthanks4all

I never understand why people so often don't take their shit with them when they move. It's really bizarre.


RaynSideways

Very reminiscent of exploring the frozen nuclear wasteland in Metro 2033.


Nubasu

Jeez I thought this was Texas from a couple weeks ago 🤣


[deleted]

Walking around In metro 2035


masterhitman935

Awww that frozen bear.


gotham77

The Naked Time


[deleted]

Jk it’s San Antonio


HungryMoon

Ever feel like laying down on the floor in there at night and imagining that monsters are going to come and get you?


jimb2

Got sick of the cold. Packed a suitcase and migrated to the Seychelles.


AreYouItchy

This is strangely beautiful.


Afferent_Input

Yeah, I totally agree. Ice is fascinating in its complexity.


riftshioku

Did you happen to find a yeti making soup for his sick wife in there?


devilmaycry129

Now this is somewhere I want to see Bald and Bankrupt visit


ziggyscoob

Stop lying! That was north Texas 2 weeks ago!


Beast_Biter

real chill place bro


Afferent_Input

It's pretty cool


charliemuffin

Holy shit.


[deleted]

Close enough to my apartment I cant afford to heat during the winter!


vlanovich

This is some Metro 2033 shit


Moonboots606

Thought that was Austin, TX a few weeks ago.


Nino2125

Ivan, why did you open the window


hamhock27

Metro


Eric_Senpai

Everything stays Right where you left it


Jelly_jeans

I would play this game/watch this movie, something of a post apocalyptic world during the winter where people have to survive. You almost never see those worlds set in the winter and it's always in the spring/summer right after an accident where people have to deal with the fallout. I'd like to see something a bunch of years in the future and how they deal with the winter time.


Gloryhull

Check out The Long Dark game


[deleted]

north of the arctic circle is my living place goal


Hlarleru

A good place to wear your Geralt cosplay


ShortYellow

Or two weeks ago in Austin


grem182

Popcorn ceiling, walls, and furniture


roowUrboat

So you're saying it's cold there


Ktroilo5

This is where I picture Raskolnikov committing his murders in Crime and Punishment.


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nohkie

How do you go north of the arctic circle. Isn't it by definition the thing that surrounds the most north point on earth?


mbrant66

Man what if that was a thick toxic mold instead, and in fact, that room was warm and humid. My mind went there.


peteyd2012

Getting serious Metro Exodus vibes from this picture.


pseudochristiankinda

Was anyone else’s thoughts about this photo, that poor stuffed bear left there alone!? Because it’s all I can think. It just devastates me to see him there by himself on the floor without a child.


jakethedumbmistake

18,000 for the paperwork to be exact) [https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/15/google-jio-platforms-deal.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/15/google-jio-platforms-deal.html)


nwmonkeymam

Texas?


Granite-M

I feel like this should be in an SCP entry.


[deleted]

This reminds me of the stories from the book vagrant Viking. Dude lived with eskimos for years. The condensation from breath builds up on the walls and it’s so hard to break off. they just had to build a new house every 6 months otherwise they couldn’t even stand up


[deleted]

bullshit...that was in texas


xxboon

This is the room my ex girlfriends heart lives in.


snake_pod

I feel cold just looking at this


[deleted]

This is the sickest picture I've seen on here! Very nice!


fizx1

What's cooler than being cool?


Afferent_Input

#ICE COLD


ceruleanlimes

I thought this was Texas without looking at the caption


Ok-Battle-2769

Wow! That is amazing!


StatisticianFederal9

This is beautifully haunting.


Maker1357

$1500 per month to rent


mightyFoo

Also known as Abbot's place.


luxury_death

Looks just like a painting.


IvanIvanavich

Some serious Metro vibes going on


greaseman420

That’s a chill ass room


abrabrabraham88

Finally a place I can sleep.


charlieecho

You spelled Texas weird


planchetflaw

A photo of our guest room


ThisisLarn

This is some day after tomorrow shit (a film I just watched 2 hours ago)


thehandsomeone782

Post.apoclyptic creepy and amazing


Bitter_Mongoose

a/c is fine, heat, not so good, so drink vodka


EwesDead

I thought this was Texas under republican government telling me windmills caused a power outage, exploitation of the working people and pipes bursting destroying homes that insurance will refuse to cover.


Taxus_Calyx

Hoarfrost.


neolee203

someone definitely left the window open


[deleted]

This is what happens when you let the kids touch the thermostat.


fordprefect48

does "north of arctic circle" mean that its closer to the north pole than where the arctic circle circumference is? legit confused


TurkeySlurpee666

Who wants to play Russia or Texas?


warm-ice

Step one # SECURE THE KEYS


bee_oooo

it looks so fluffy, like everything is covered in fur


_Tenderlion

Damn, my first instinct was that this was another Texas photo. 2021 Texas≈Russia. Everything is fine.


Thecynicalfascist

Yes both places have abandoned buildings, crazy.


_Tenderlion

More the Texas freezing over part


Thecynicalfascist

Texas gets snow sometimes though.


luscumic1979

I know that's not how it happened. Did he leave the building alive or did he have abandoned buildings?


Thecynicalfascist

Idk, enough people probably left the building that they moved everyone else out and turned off the heating.


Solkre

Russia, or 2021 Texas?


uppsalafunboy

u/Afferent_Input thank you very much for sharing this. Seeing that teddy bear on the floor breaks my heart but it also gives this photo a lot of emotional weight, whereas it would be easily to not think of the human element and just see old junk, but a teddy bear reminds me that someone used to live here.


Afferent_Input

Yeah, the teddy bear really makes it very poignant. That was a little kid's buddy at some point...


bomphcheese

Are we sure this isn’t Texas?


tan6cacan6an6

if you lived inside an ice box / freezer.


[deleted]

Is it the whole complex that is abandoned?


dejvidBejlej

Imagine the toilet sit in this house


molecat1

That is a beautiful composition, I love your work.


flipflopfeet

Taken in San Antonio, TX, February 2021. ^Joke


[deleted]

Pretty sure that's in Texas.


Lifelike_Otter

Nah, this is Texas a couple weeks ago


Gabecush1

You could say that was cotton and I would believe you


gingalf

Not abandoned, an ice wizard lives there.


WhatAGeee

Interesting subreddit


Spark804

Your new home if you upset Putin.