Inhospitable: London photographer Andre Govia visited the abandoned hotel to capture the decay in a series of haunting pictures

Dated: Time seems to have stood still inside the abandoned Plaza Hotel, located in Germany

Left to rust for nearly 40 years: The once world renowned Spanish mountain-top observatory abandoned to the elements and vandals



Its majestic dome still directed toward the heavens, now covered in graffiti and left to rust - inside the stunning abandoned astronomical observatory atop a Spanish mountain.



Standing 2,605m above sea level in the region of Andalucia, the Mohon del Trigo observatory has been empty for nearly 40 years.



The observatory at Mohsn del Trigo was built in 1902 after planners judged the clear skies of the isolated Sierra Nevada mountains to be perfect for stargazing.



Solitary: The Mohon del Trigo observatory has stood empty and abandoned for nearly 40 years

Clear blue sky: The Mohon del Trigo observatory was built in 1902 in an isolated spot in the Sierra Nevada mountains where the sky is perfect for stargazing

Enchanting: Urban explorer Dominique Svenson, 54, of Granada, Spain, was captivated by the abandoned Mohon del Trigo observatory in the Sierra Nevada range of Andalucia

Due to several technological advances the station was obsolete by the middle of the twentieth century and a new observatory was built nearby in 1976.



Mohsn del Trigo was stripped and abandoned but today it still stands high above the Spanish countryside, cutting a striking image against the mountain vistas.



Urban explorer Dominique Svenson, 54, ventured inside the derelict structure.



Vandalised: Graffiti vandals have used the walls inside the abaconded observatory as their canvas

Decrepit : While the Mohon del Trigo observatory was once a centre for observing the galaxy, it is now a vandalised, rusting wreck

Crumbling: Urban explorer Dominique Svenson said the observatory was in a 'pitiful state', crumbing away under due to the harsh elements

She said: 'It stands in perfect solitude on a steep rise, high above the hustle and bustle of the world below.

'Although the inside is in a pitiful state, with graffiti on the walls and the structure showing clear signs of deterioration, the atmosphere is peaceful.



'I reached the observatory in the early evening after an exhausting hike but couldn't resist going a bit further to an adjacent elevation to take a panoramic picture of the robust building against the landscape.'



Mrs Svenson said the vast interior evoked the atmosphere of a golden age of astronomical research.



Heyday: Astronomers would come from around the world to wonder at the universe from inside the Mohon del Trigo observatory She said: 'While I was there I imagined years gone by. I thought of astronomers looking through their telescope, the stars shining through the dome and the milky way spanning high above.

'As I was leaving the observatory I turned back, and felt respect for this sturdy little building that has withstood the elements for so long, battling constant wind and snow. Sometimes snow covers it completely.'

Mrs Svenson, of Granada, Spain took the photographs in June 2012.

Stargazing: The Mohon del Trigo observatory once housed a 32cm reflector telescope under its impressive dome

New residents: A new set of residents have taken up residence inside the Mohon del Trigo observatory

When it was first built the observatory belonged to the Jesuit religious order. It was equipped with a 32cm reflector telescope donated by the Jesuit University of Georgetown, USA.



The observatory was assigned to the University of Granada in 1972. The structure is still owned by the university today.



In its heyday Mohon del Trigo observatory was used intensively by astronomers from all over the world.



In particular, a long-standing collaboration was established with the Royal Greenwich Observatory which involved a frequent interchange of personnel.

Decay: The gears which once would have positioned the dome have now become rusted and corroded after years of being exposed to the elements

Corrosion: The dome is now firmly stuck in position and the moving gears rusted

View of the heavens: The observatory's rusting dome is still open to the stars

Crystal clear: The stunning clear blue sky and clean air attracted the first stargazers to the mountains in the Sierra Nevada range of Andalucia where they later built this observatory

The Cold War time warp: Top secret military base which built hi-tech underwater weapons for the Soviet Union left to decay



During the height of the Cold War, this top secret site would have been an impenetrable fortress.



The site was home to one of the former superpower's classified weapons manufacturing plants called Hydropribor which made cutting edge underwater munitions.

Now long since abandoned, people are able to roam among the crumbling walls, wander around the former hospital block and flick through old patient records at the complex located in South-East Crimea.



Top secret: The military plant called Hydropribor is located in South-East Crimea

Crumbling: This facility used to produce underwater weapons systems such as torpedoes, mines for the former Soviet Union Disorder: These wards would have been used to treat patients but have now slowly fallen into disrepair after the fall of the Soviet Union

Classified: Only a very few knew about existence of this place, even in the neighboring city of Feodosia This facility used to produce underwater weapons systems such as torpedoes, mines and other munitions.

Only a very few knew about existence of this place, even in the neighboring city of Feodosia.

After break up of Soviet Union in the early 1990s 'Hydropribor' had stopped getting government procurement and had it closed, its classification had been removed.



Abandoned: The site fell into disrepair after break up of Soviet Union in the early 90s

Chaos: Patient records from the old hospital site are strewn across the floor of the former Soviet Union's munitions facility

Medical supplies: Vials from the medicine cabinet lie intact in the chaotic and messy hospital rooms Nowadays this facility is abandoned and totally neglected, but there are still a few buildings left.

One of them was a hospital for the plant's employees. This hospital is in the same condition now as it was more than 20 years ago.

Now this building is boarded up, but inside, abandoned medical records, dentist tools and dentures are still strewn about doctors' offices. Equipment on the operating theatre stands exactly where a doctor left it many decades ago.

Disorder: As the Iron Curtain fell from Europe, the Soviet Union abandoned this site, leaving files stacked on shelves, left, and the Black Sea storms to ravage the building



Mess: This facility used to produce underwater weapons systems such as torpedoes and mines, for the Soviet Union

Flaking paint: Years of storm damage has ripped the windows from their frames

Bite: A set of false teeth sits next next to batches of long out of date medicine in the former hospital block Gums: A top set of teeth has a thick covering of dust and plaster from the flaking ceilings of the the Hydropribor military facility

Mistreatment: Syringes and bottles of medicine lie broken on a table top at the old top secret military plant called Hydropribor, located in South-East Crimea Frozen in time: Equipment on the operating theatre stands exactly where a doctor left it many decades ago

Snapshot: The medical records of former staff lay where the doctor left them two decades ago



