Grand congress hotels from the Socialist era, the once popular Ballhaus often built with basic, functional materials which were not made to last, derelict factories, buildings converted into museums, and barracks now transformed into flats or simply knocked down to make way for solar panels …

Over 15 urban forays to seek out abandoned places have been undertaken by Aurélien Villette, an international award-winning photographer, and have helped him paint an alternative portrait of contemporary Germany – a land scarred by many historical fractures which the passage of time has willingly glossed over, thus remaining only in people’s memories.