Welcome to the captivating world of abandoned swimming pools around the world, captured through the lens of Dimitri Bourriau, an architectural photographer based in Paris. In this unique series, Dimitri invites us to dive into the enigmatic and evocative atmosphere of these forgotten places.
Through his artistic gaze, Dimitri reveals the striking beauty and poetry that emanate from these once lively spaces, now frozen in time. Each image is imbued with a silent history, where the contrast between past grandeur and present decay creates a gripping visual tension.
5. Uszoda Sports Base in Timișoara, Romania
This is the only abandoned pool we have found that is adorned with street art. It was located in the middle of the city’s central park and probably no longer exists as there was talk, even in October 2016 when we took the photos, of the area being redeveloped into basketball courts.
Out of interest, “Uszoda” means swimming pool in Hungarian. Timișoara is close to the Romanian/Hungarian border and has strong historic connections with Romania.
04. Sanatorium swimming pool in Vanadzor, Armenia
We spent a while looking for this particular pool and had to be a little creative in order to get inside but it was worth it. You can tell that this would have once been a gleaming white pool and a delightful place for a swim, with plenty of light streaming. The symmetry of the staircase is also pretty hard to beat and, overall, this is probably the most seductive forsaken swimming pool we have seen.
Read more about our impressions of Vanadzor: Where to break the journey between Tbilisi and Yerevan.
03. Azure Swimming Pool in Pripyat (Chernobyl Exclusion Zone), Ukraine
The Azure Swimming Pool is one of three disused indoor pools located in the abandoned city of Pripyat within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine. It is also the most famous abandoned swimming pool we have seen. It was featured in the video game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and even has its own Wikipedia page along with a wealth of information about it on the Internet.
Read more: Pripyat: Photos from Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine.
02. Hotel Colheti in Kobuleti, Georgia
This is another swimming pool that might not survive much longer. When we stumbled across it in August 2018, construction/renovation work was already taking place in other buildings associated with the hotel and it’s only a matter of time until the contractors get round to doing something with the pool.
This was the first abandoned location we entered after getting set upon by three guys in the nearby disputed territory of Abkhazia a few days earlier and so we felt more than a little apprehensive upon entering, but it all turned out OK and we were rather taken by the circular appearance of this particular pool.
01. Ho Thuy Tien Water Park in Hue, Vietnam
Plastic crocodiles, waterslides and other water-based paraphernalia, all cloaked in a jungle-clad setting … what’s not to like about this former water park on the outskirts of Hue, apart from the other visitors perhaps? This place is well and truly on the tourist (mostly backpackers) radar and can get quite busy at times (for an urbex location) but it’s still definitely worth visiting and very photogenic.
Read more: Abandoned Vietnam: Ho Thuy Tien Water Park in Hue, Vietnam
“Thank you for taking the time out to breathe in my words”