An abandoned WW1 underground hospital established into a giant limestone quarry. Check out these amazing images taken by the guys over at 442urbex and all images by Marc Askat. Great work Marc!
These are the incredible pictures of an abandoned underground hospital – once used to save wounded soldiers during WWI – which is now being reclaimed by mother nature.
Photographer and urban explorer Marc Askat explained how he searched the countryside of northern France before finding the site from journals written by now long-dead soldiers from WWI.
He said: “I was looking for World War One remains, in particular sites protected by the shelter of the quarries.
“I was hoping to find places that haven’t been damaged by people or the elements.
Concealed within a limestone quarry in northern France, the facility still has a few of its Great War era stretchers and trolleys in place, as well as graffiti and carvings made by wounded soldiers during their convalescence.
Stored munitions – now dangerously unstable because of their great age – can still be found in some of the tunnels. From the empty stretchers lying next to military motifs carved into the walls of the entrance, these pictures show how this limestone quarry became a crucial lifeline for wounded servicemen.
“One day, I found an abandoned underground network that has been used by the British and French soldiers as an underground Hospital during WW1, the ‘Carriere Suzanne’.
“People of the village next to the quarry were secretly working to restore the place.
“As it is very dangerous to visit and not yet fully protected from vandalism the exact location remains secret for the moment.”
Marc, had two relatives killed in the Battle of Verdun and believes sites like this are vital in preserving our history.
He said: “Underground, France is full of historical material. But this place is the only one where so many remains are still in the same place in a breath-taking state of preservation. “This includes hospital beds, sculptures, ammunition and the graves of the dead.
“We can’t let our history slowly decay over time. Instead we should all be able to discover this part of our past.”
The actual location of the abandoned hospital, is being kept secret until the explosives can be made safe and the tunnels can be restored to a condition suitable to allow it to be open to the public.
Marc had worked out where the hospital was by reading old diaries and has made a unique photographic record of the hospital as it is today.