“My greatest discovery? The Dupas house, reveals without hesitation Timothy Hannem, author of Glauque-Land, 25 years old from Urbex (ed. Albin Michel), released October 4. A friend pointed it out to me, it was ten minutes from a nice place so I stopped by to see. And what looked like some kind of shed in a forest on Google Maps was actually a small house filled with vegetation, missing the roof. Doubtful, I entered and discovered rooms completely empty with only a piano. It was damaged by the weather, with dead leaves on the keys, out of use. But it was magnificent: why did he stay there alone? » The enigma is huge and motivates our confirmed Urbexeur.
Because in addition to the pure and hard discovery that has exalted this Ile-de-France resident since his childhood, namely exploring abandoned places and “scaring yourself a little”, Timothy Hannem also likes to dig around to discover the history of the place. “It is as important as the discovery of the abandoned place itself. It is not only an abandoned place, it is also a place with a history, which one does not necessarily find in books. These are stories of abandoned factories, pavilions, castles and very little known to the general public. It looks a lot like alternative tourism.”
A third different book
To awaken the curious to his conception of the Urbex, the blogger, designer and urban explorer has been bringing together his findings on his site glauqueland.com since 2001. He decided after two books published by Arthaud, “which compiled what I was doing on my site”, to change format. “In addition to pretty photos, the idea was to tell the story of the lives of the people who had lived there. It was still more interesting to tell something other than the year of construction of the building and its closure,” he reveals.
Timothy Hannem therefore did a lot of research to retrace the history of the Château de l’Arche Perdue or the Asylum of Lost Time. And, for each of the 56 places, imagined a page from the diary of an inhabitant of times gone by. “These are fictional texts but based on reality. Sometimes, I just changed the first name,” says the author. For some, like the Winter Garden or the Ghost Ship, it is impossible to find documents on the date of construction, its use or even the reason for its abandonment. He therefore showcased his talents as a storyteller.
From Urbex yes but with stories behind
Timothy Hannem dates this passion for the history behind the discovery to the beginning of his architectural studies. Since then, he has continued to develop this aspect. “My favorite way to find new abandoned places is to wander around on Google Maps, put in some pins, and start with reconnaissance visits. Sometimes we come across incredible places, sometimes the places are closed so we turn back, and then sometimes it sucks. The Urbex is really random. And it’s pure discovery before, during and after,” he raves.
“It also happens that people write to me to point out abandoned places and then sometimes I take inspiration from the photos of other Urbex practitioners,” he adds, recognizing that there is a certain spirit of competition among those practicing urban exploration, “to the one who makes the most beautiful spot, the most furnished. But in private, we exchange addresses quite a bit, one place for another.” And when he is on site, Timothy Hannem takes photos but also searches documents if there are any. “I try to reconstruct the history of the place while taking care not to reveal too much so as not to reveal where it is and lead to damage, vandalism or accidents.”
Getting started in urbex in Île-de-France
Because one of the golden rules of the urbex is not to give the exact address of the place. The other is not to damage anything. “If a place is closed, we don’t go in. It happens that the places are completely closed and sometimes when you return there a year later, it is open. We are a little dependent on people who force access, burglars or vandals, and that actually suits us,” he admits. To embark on this “treasure hunt”, Timothy Hannem advises equipping yourself with good shoes, such as walking shoes, “so as not to injure yourself on shards of glass, rusty nails or anything that can litter the ground abandoned places”, used clothes that we are not afraid of getting dirty and discreet so as not to arouse the suspicions of the neighbors. He also always takes something to eat and drink and always warns someone close to him. “When I’m exploring, I text my girlfriend regularly.”
Originally from Fresnes in Essonne, and now resident in Montrouge, Timothy Hannem has made Ile-de-France his favorite playground. “Some abandoned places are very well known but there are still beautiful sites to discover.” He particularly likes bike rides “because we don’t see the landscape in the same way”. It was with this means of transport that one of her friends suggested she visit a recently abandoned house. “We hadn’t seen any photos on the Internet. And when we went there, we discovered that its last inhabitant was a fan of Marshal Pétain. A nugget. » For now, he is keeping the address for himself and his close friends, as long as the place is not razed or rehabilitated. “When a place burns, it’s sad. But when the sites are rehabilitated, it’s a rebirth, they come back to life and as no one will visit them anymore, I can tell their whole story, put the real name. It makes a nice piece of history on a place that has been preserved.”