Located in a small village in eastern France, is the Maison aux Masques, a.k.a. Villa Amande. Very little history to be found online regarding this place, but from what I could find out (thank you Google Translate!) was that the property is earmarked for a hotel, which explains the large demolition notice on the front gate. The fact the house is still there also indicates the hotel may not be past the planning phase yet, which is good for urban explorers. The location consists of an abandoned house and two farm sheds, which vaguely hints at its former past. Winery, sawmill, farm, flour mill … who knows, but all in all, an interesting visit.
The explore
Getting up early, as we knew access might be fairly exposed, we arrived at the car park at sunrise to find another couple already heading into the property. A few quick “Bonjours” later, we discover that this old couple in their 60s were actually there to steal stuff from the house – we didn’t see what exactly, but they did walk away an hour later with at least an old light fitting. Indeed, a few of the items that appeared in earlier photos online appear to have been nicked – the masks from which the house gets its name and an old top hat are among a few items noticeably missing, which is a shame. Two hours later, after walking around the house and the adjacent sheds, we wandered back to the car to head off to our next location.
The photos
(Full set located here - HDR warning : http://urbex.photosbydenn.is/fra-maison-aux-masques-villa-amande/)
The House
Dirty thieving Frenchies (had wrong lens, so heavy crop)
Old shed
The explore
Getting up early, as we knew access might be fairly exposed, we arrived at the car park at sunrise to find another couple already heading into the property. A few quick “Bonjours” later, we discover that this old couple in their 60s were actually there to steal stuff from the house – we didn’t see what exactly, but they did walk away an hour later with at least an old light fitting. Indeed, a few of the items that appeared in earlier photos online appear to have been nicked – the masks from which the house gets its name and an old top hat are among a few items noticeably missing, which is a shame. Two hours later, after walking around the house and the adjacent sheds, we wandered back to the car to head off to our next location.
The photos
(Full set located here - HDR warning : http://urbex.photosbydenn.is/fra-maison-aux-masques-villa-amande/)
The House
Dirty thieving Frenchies (had wrong lens, so heavy crop)
Old shed
