The abandoned airbase

The audio recording of the wind within the base—a true, glacial delight to listen to by the fireside.

This page is a short account of a walk through a partially abandoned airfield. More specifically, it consists of two runways currently in use and a significant volume of barracks that have been abandoned for just over 20 years. While the site might have been interesting a few months ago, it is currently in an alarming state of vandalism and demolition. This is hardly surprising, as it has recently become a "hotspot" for the urbex community. Consequently, the premises are suffering a total, inevitable, and rapid devastation.

The photos are worth showing because they bear witness to one thing: what urbex has become today. It is either an unoccupied site with a guard, potentially supplemented by dog handlers, alarms, and/or PTZ cameras—or it is a site like this one, undergoing the frantic ravaging of those who claim to "leave only footprints." More than ever, the question arises: should we continue down this path? I have visited dilapidated places before—the old Genval paper mills come to mind—but this is a truly tasteless misery. The site is destined to be entirely razed in short order to make way for a training ground for the federal police and civil protection services.

By luck, I am able to offer you a poetic visit, as I had the rare and precious opportunity to record the wind there (the open runways of the plain offer a tremendous sweep). To say the least, the sound quality is of an uncommon standard. This makes the visit worthwhile, though it was a close call. I wish you a pleasant walk!

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