Dear readers, I just added what I call a Visual Archive, the link is located in the sidebar just underneath the World Map. So what is it? Each picture is a link to the corresponding article. Dead-simple... I hope it will let you discover old interesting articles as It is much more intuitive than a regular archive. I encourage you to also have a look at the World Map, it's a fun way to navigate through AO past articles.
Thanks for reading this blog.
The Artificial Owl
The city of Nouadhibou (Arabic: نواذيبو) is the second largest city in Mauritania and serves as the country's commercial center.It is famous for being the location of one of the largest ship graveyard in the world. Hundreds of rusting ships can be seen all around, in the water, and on beaches. 
One of the most commonly read explanation for that situation is that Mauritanian harbor officers were taking bribes and allowing ships to be discarded in the harbor and around the bay.
This phenomenon started in the 80's after the nationalization of the Mauritanian fishing industry, numerous uneconomical ships were simply abandoned there. I'm guessing that foreign ship owners later found very convenient to get rid of their old vessels in the bay.
My feeling balances between anger and amazement by the sight of those rusted skeletons Amazement for the dreamy vision, anger for the ecological and social disaster.
coordinates : 20°54'03.23"N 17°02'31.56"W
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pictures sources : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
text source : 1 2 3
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It's not really the typical abandoned material that is featured on AO, but it's quiet interesting. Next to São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, some obsolete planes are stored all together, waiting their fate, the same way as a kid would store miniature planes in a shoe box.
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coordinates : 23°25'18.53"S 46°27'05.31"W
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pictures sources : 1 2
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This building is located in Imari harbour in the Saga prefecture, in Japan. It used to be called Kawaminami shipyard, and was originally a glass factory which processes the raw material imported from the Middle East by boat.
Around the time of the Japan/china war, it became the Kawaminami industrial corporation, and started to produce boats, and later ammunition. I don't have much more information. I particularly enjoy the vegetation overtaking the concrete structures.
coordinates : 33°20'02.31"N 129°47'53.24"E
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pictures sources : 1 2 3
text source : 1
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G Auad, a reader of The Artificial owl nicely sent me some pictures of this incredible abandoned building located in the mountains of his country, Bulgaria. This is the first inclusion on AO of a reader's suggestion, and frankly I hope to get a lot more, because this one is great. Thanks G Auad!
The flying saucer shape building is called the Buzludzha Monument, It is located in Buzludzha National Park in the Central Stara Planina, right in the middle of Bulgaria.
So what is the story of this construction exactly? In 1891 the socialists led by Dimitar Blagoev assembled secretly in the area to form an organised socialist movement. In honour of this act was built the Buzludzha Monument, one of the symbols of the socialism in Bulgaria. The building is now abandoned but still stands alone in the most beautiful landscape.
coordinates : 42°44'07.85"N 25°23'39.20"E
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pictures sources : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
text source : 1 2
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Three not so old planes put to rest at Manaus Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Brazil. I just love how in tropical climates moisture rapidly attacks planes bodies. I can't locate them precisely on the airport...they might have been scrapped since the pictures were taken.
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coordinates : 3° 1' 57.56" S 60° 2' 54.53" W
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pictures sources : 1 2 3
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I have to confess a true fascination for old planes left to rust on the side of an airport. La Paz - Jfk International (El Alto) Airport in Bolivia is a great place for that matter. Tens of very old planes can be seen all around, some seem to be in the process of being repaired, and some are...well beyond this point.
Curtiss C-46 
Douglas DC-6A/C 
Douglas DC-6A/C 
Curtiss C-46A
Curtiss C-46D
Douglas DC-3
Convair T-29C
Douglas DC-4
coordinates : 16°30'41.61"S 68°10'19.39"W
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pictures sources : 1 2 3
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This gigantic antenna system called Duga-3 is located near Prypiat in the Chernobyl area.
It was built in the 70's as an early missile detection system (over-the-horizon radar system). It was also called the Steel Yard hence its distinctive appearance. The antenna was deactivated in 1989.
The Russian Woodpecker was a notorious Soviet signal that could be heard on the shortwave radio bands worldwide between July 1976 and December 1989. It sounded like a sharp, repetitive tapping noise, at 10 Hz, giving rise to the "Woodpecker" name. The random frequency disrupted legitimate broadcast, amateur radio, and utility transmissions and resulted in thousands of complaints by many countries worldwide.
Starting in 1976 a new and powerful radio signal was detected worldwide, and quickly dubbed the Woodpecker by amateur radio operators. Transmission power on some woodpecker transmitters was estimated to be as high as 10 MW EIRP. As well as disrupting shortwave amateur radio and broadcasting it could sometimes be heard over telephone circuits due to the strength of the signals. This led to a thriving industry of "Woodpecker filters" and noise blankers.
coordinates : 51°18'19.31"N 30°03'57.66"E
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pictures sources : 1 2 3
text source : 1
