Nature reclaiming abandoned places

in his latest release, romain veillon invites us to ponder an intriguing question: what would the earth look like if humans suddenly disappeared?

One thing that I firmly believe all human beings share is our inner yearning for adventure. We might try and satisfy this calling with good movies, awesome video games, or top-tier tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons (as a Dungeon Master of several years, I’m guilty of this). However, at the end of the day, there’s no real substitute for going out into the field with your own two feet and starting your very own adventure going into the abandoned and mysterious corners of the Earth.

Although we are surrounded by the latest technology and fantastic buildings, we sometimes forget that nature will outlive all of it. From huge steamships to glamorous villas, nature continues to find ways to conquer all.

German photographer Michael Schwan’s ongoing series ‘The Beauty of Decay’ chronicles his travels across Europe capturing abandoned buildings in stunning states of disintegration. This gallery collects some of this artist’s most spectacular shots of nature reclaiming these formerly majestic spaces.

We humans often build roads and bridges, canals and ports, even entire cities at the expense of the environment. But nature isn't planning on giving up. On the contrary, it is determined to persevere, showing just how fragile our creations are.