An abandoned house in the Pas-de-Calais.
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M.Libert / 20 Minutes
On social networks, there are more and more Urbex photos.
It is about visiting places built by man and abandoned.
Hugo, an 18-year-old northerner, has been practicing this discipline for three years.
Out of time and out of the law.
A hobby that was still relatively unknown a few years ago, today the Urbex attracts more and more people in search of exploration and thrills.
The photos of these enthusiasts are spread on social networks, especially Instagram, highlighting abandoned places and sometimes frankly impressive.
And it is precisely via Instagram that Hugo, 18, offered to accompany him during one of his illegal outings.
Without asking any questions, we told him banco.
After a few private messages on Instagram, an appointment was given to us on Sunday, at the beginning of the afternoon, in a parking lot in a small village in Pas-de-Calais.
There were two conditions for Hugo to agree to serve as a guide at
20 Minutes
: not to reveal his identity and not to reveal the address of the place we were going to explore.
At the appointed time, we saw a young man disembarking all in black and carrying a big bag.
“We go to an old house on the outskirts of the village.
It has been abandoned for more than ten years but it is full, as if the inhabitants had left the day before, ”he confides to us.
"Something's wrong, everything has been turned upside down"
To access it, you must first pass under a fence before climbing the bathroom window.
Admittedly, there is no break-in, the window being open, but it is nonetheless illegal.
Too late to give up.
There, indeed, we quickly see that everything has been left as is.
Clothes have been drying for years in the laundry room, dishes are waiting to be washed in the sink, there is even food in the fridge.
“Something's wrong, everything has been turned upside down.
Burglars have passed, ”regrets Hugo, who had already come here a few months earlier.
A house abandoned for 10 years in Pas-de-Calais.
- M.Libert / 20 Minutes
He makes it a point of honor not to damage anything or steal anything: "All I take are photos", says the young man.
He recognizes, however, that the temptation can be strong at times: “I came across some small ingots while exploring a castle in the South.
I hesitated, it's hard to resist.
I finally stashed them under a bed, ”he recalls, refusing to turn into a thief.
Because he has already had trouble in the practice of Urbex: complaints, arrests, police custody, assaults.
“One day I was even threatened with a gun by a guy.
There, I was really freaked out, ”he says.
"I broke my arm while going through a floor"
In the house, we continue our exploration.
Each room contains memories of lives abandoned and decayed.
The place has suffered for the past decade and the small lodge could well collapse one day.
" It can be dangerous.
A year ago, I broke my arm going through the floor of a castle.
It was a farmer who got me out of there after 4 hours to wait in the debris, ”explains Hugo.
Either, we will be careful where we put our feet.
A coachbuilder by trade, the young explorer slams all his salary into his passion.
“The most expensive gasoline and photo equipment are,” he says.
And the trips ”.
Because it moves a lot, always around the Urbex: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, Hungary.
And soon Japan, where he is to go in two or three years with another enthusiast.
Besides photography, Hugo is interested in the history of the places he visits.
For this house, he conducted his investigation and found out that the couple who lived here are dead.
The son, the only heir, has gone to live abroad and does not want to hear about this house.
And in terms of history, it should be served from next weekend.
“I found an abandoned castle in Belgium.
It is an outcast, it has never been visited, ”he blurted out, proud and mysterious.
We will not know more before turning back, neither seen nor known.
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