To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.

To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.

To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.

Please provide your email address and we will send your password shortly.

Please enter your email to complete registration

Your account is not active. We have sent an email to the address you provided with an activation link. Check your inbox, and click on the link to activate your account.

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Known as Chateau Secret, this historic castle in the south of France was built in the 1500’s. Passed on through generations, it was eventually bought for cheap by a family, who left the country and abandoned it. Today it sits with everything left inside. I photographed everything as I found it. Take a look inside and discover the secrets of this abandoned castle.

Disclaimer! I’m hearing that a lot of people are trying to go to this place now because they think I just photographed it and it’s just wide open but that’s not the case. I heard that recently someone tried to go there but it is now completely sealed off, even if the location and the address can easily be found by using Google lens. Please do not go there!

Check out my other posts on Bored Panda here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

I’ve seen a lot more social media accounts doing urban exploring. A lot of these people seem to be doing it for the views or making YouTube videos just for the fame. I consider my work as art that I just like to share with others, and usually, others enjoy seeing it.

However, many abandoned places become sealed up, sometimes by neighbors or even other urban explorers who don’t want others going in, even though these people don’t have a right to do so. The ones where there is nothing open, I consider off limits.

Once I find the location, it’s a matter of planning how to get there, finding out if a place is open, and the best way of entry. Sometimes, it means getting in touch with the last owner. A lot of times, this requires long walks through fields or forests. It’s never a short or easy process.

Besides the camera accessories (a tripod, etc), the most important thing to carry around would be some kind of mask to protect you from dust or asbestos. Water always. A flashlight. Bandaids or anything that helps in case of an injury.

People often have a misconception that urban exploring is safe and anyone can do it. It’s dangerous and it also requires a lot of research and planning beforehand, there are a lot of risks. Many times, places are not accessible that may have been just a few days earlier. Also, just because a place is abandoned does not mean it’s for sale!

The most dangerous place was a castle in France, which at the time it was open, there was an angry neighbor who had a key. He had a lead pipe and chased me around the castle, it may or may not have been the one in this story.

I have learned that as people we take nothing with us when we leave this earth, and sometimes the stuff we valued, including property, can go unwanted by the people we leave it to. I’ve learned a lot about history, and the stories of families (some tragic) that have taken place in these abandoned places. Every trip is an adventure in discovering the past.

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!

Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda!

www.instagram.com/st.severus/Please contact me at bryansansivero@gmail.com if you would like to feature my photographs on your website, thanks.

Diana works as a Community Manager for Bored Panda. After acquiring a BA in Business with Marketing Management, she decided that she wanted to do something far more creative than her usual marketing business that mostly included researching companies' competitors or working on swot/pestle analysis every single day. Excel spreadsheets weren't her thing either, so she decided creative storytelling was the way to go. Other than that, outside of work, you can find her making barista-style coffee or hand-stretched pizzas, sometimes even drawing and playing video games with friends.

Abandoned? It may not be habitable, but someone is still looking after it. There are no trees or vines growing through the windows. There's no evidence of serious water damage. And the lawn looks like well kept rye grass that's just a couple weeks past due for a mowing. If it were abandoned, plenty of folks would've busted things up and taken some of the wonderful things that were left behind. Face it, you broke into a house and we're lucky you weren't shot.

Was gonna say the same. You broke into someones house and were lucky they weren’t home. There was even a picture of a couple in one of the photos. Maybe it’s someones summer house and they forgot they had it so they haven't been there in a while but they still pay someone to take care of it.

I don’t think so… In one photo there is graffiti on the wall. I think that someone takes care of it but I don’t think someone uses it as a summer house.

The owners abandoned it a very long time ago. This is common knowledge.

Yeah not anymore but maybe thats what it originally was. If someone maintains it tho it’s not abandoned and it’s still breaking and entering.

Which is not a crime in France. Please have knowledge of foreign law before you make assumptions.Thanks!

Vraiment ? C'est pas un crime ? T'es sûr de toi ? Pour les particuliers dits « personne physique », la violation de domicile est passible d’une peine d’emprisonnement de 1 an et du paiement d’une amende de 15 000 euros ( article 226-4 du Code pénal ). J'ai vaguement l'impression qu'avant de prendre ses grands airs et donner des leçons aux autres autant être à la hauteur de ses propres prétentions. Question de légitimité ... Surtout quand on se permet de parler de "connaissance des lois"

Oh Mark, you're not a bright one at all. You know it's illegal to have a gun and even shoot someone that is on private property in France right? If that were to happen they would spend life in prison. Look it up. People who have even touched trespassers have been prosecuted. Don't make baseless unintelligent comments with zero knowledge of foreign law. You also have no clue how I got inside. Again baseless assumptions.

That castle was definitely not built in the 1500s !! Maybe there was a castle there back then but it was probably demolished and rebuilt. This one is probably from the late 19th century or early 20th. It's really not that old

There's a few videos on YouTube showing you around. It's late 19th C.

Construction began in the 1400's, the bridge part dates back to the and the rest was rebuilt in the 1800's.

Yeah, I agree that this place isn't abandoned. It also irritates me that this guy is passing off trespassing as his "art". Here's the real fallout. You go shooting at someone else place. The fact that the small stuff is there is a big flag that it's not abandoned. That would have been stolen and sold if it were. You then post like you have this massive pre shoot ritual about research but don't mention once about checking the public records as to ownership. You then go on to publicly post the photos and location of place, pretty much guaranteeing that the place will get robbed. That fact that this place got locked down shows that someone had to invest time and money protecting the place because you think you are making "art". If you are going to continue doing this, at least leave out the exterior shots, wipe the .exif from geolocations, and stay mum about where the place is. Or better yet, get permission in writing. He isn't any different than a common criminal.

Sorry tresspassing is not a crime in France. Look it up. And I could tell you the exact history of owners but why would I do that? Do it yourself.You have a lot to say Jerry but nobody cares. Jealously? Perhaps. Find time to critique someone who actually cares about your opinion. You're nothing.

Hey Bryan ... Why would you do that ? Why would you tell us the exact story of the owners ? Because you wrote the article and it's part of your job to tell us what you know about the place you chose to present ... Duh !! Nobody forced you. Your article sucks and your butt-hurt aggressive condescending attitude in every single one of your answers doesn't help your case. If you can't handle criticism don't put anything on internet buddy. That's part of the process. Cause actually "you're nothing" ... Just like anyone hear. Who the f**k do you think you are to talk like that ? You're not even a good photographer. Chill !!

Abandoned? It may not be habitable, but someone is still looking after it. There are no trees or vines growing through the windows. There's no evidence of serious water damage. And the lawn looks like well kept rye grass that's just a couple weeks past due for a mowing. If it were abandoned, plenty of folks would've busted things up and taken some of the wonderful things that were left behind. Face it, you broke into a house and we're lucky you weren't shot.

Was gonna say the same. You broke into someones house and were lucky they weren’t home. There was even a picture of a couple in one of the photos. Maybe it’s someones summer house and they forgot they had it so they haven't been there in a while but they still pay someone to take care of it.

I don’t think so… In one photo there is graffiti on the wall. I think that someone takes care of it but I don’t think someone uses it as a summer house.

The owners abandoned it a very long time ago. This is common knowledge.

Yeah not anymore but maybe thats what it originally was. If someone maintains it tho it’s not abandoned and it’s still breaking and entering.

Which is not a crime in France. Please have knowledge of foreign law before you make assumptions.Thanks!

Vraiment ? C'est pas un crime ? T'es sûr de toi ? Pour les particuliers dits « personne physique », la violation de domicile est passible d’une peine d’emprisonnement de 1 an et du paiement d’une amende de 15 000 euros ( article 226-4 du Code pénal ). J'ai vaguement l'impression qu'avant de prendre ses grands airs et donner des leçons aux autres autant être à la hauteur de ses propres prétentions. Question de légitimité ... Surtout quand on se permet de parler de "connaissance des lois"

Oh Mark, you're not a bright one at all. You know it's illegal to have a gun and even shoot someone that is on private property in France right? If that were to happen they would spend life in prison. Look it up. People who have even touched trespassers have been prosecuted. Don't make baseless unintelligent comments with zero knowledge of foreign law. You also have no clue how I got inside. Again baseless assumptions.

That castle was definitely not built in the 1500s !! Maybe there was a castle there back then but it was probably demolished and rebuilt. This one is probably from the late 19th century or early 20th. It's really not that old

There's a few videos on YouTube showing you around. It's late 19th C.

Construction began in the 1400's, the bridge part dates back to the and the rest was rebuilt in the 1800's.

Yeah, I agree that this place isn't abandoned. It also irritates me that this guy is passing off trespassing as his "art". Here's the real fallout. You go shooting at someone else place. The fact that the small stuff is there is a big flag that it's not abandoned. That would have been stolen and sold if it were. You then post like you have this massive pre shoot ritual about research but don't mention once about checking the public records as to ownership. You then go on to publicly post the photos and location of place, pretty much guaranteeing that the place will get robbed. That fact that this place got locked down shows that someone had to invest time and money protecting the place because you think you are making "art". If you are going to continue doing this, at least leave out the exterior shots, wipe the .exif from geolocations, and stay mum about where the place is. Or better yet, get permission in writing. He isn't any different than a common criminal.

Sorry tresspassing is not a crime in France. Look it up. And I could tell you the exact history of owners but why would I do that? Do it yourself.You have a lot to say Jerry but nobody cares. Jealously? Perhaps. Find time to critique someone who actually cares about your opinion. You're nothing.

Hey Bryan ... Why would you do that ? Why would you tell us the exact story of the owners ? Because you wrote the article and it's part of your job to tell us what you know about the place you chose to present ... Duh !! Nobody forced you. Your article sucks and your butt-hurt aggressive condescending attitude in every single one of your answers doesn't help your case. If you can't handle criticism don't put anything on internet buddy. That's part of the process. Cause actually "you're nothing" ... Just like anyone hear. Who the f**k do you think you are to talk like that ? You're not even a good photographer. Chill !!

To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.

Subscribe to our top stories