Abandoned church in Czech Republic (Anna Mika)

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and photographer Anna Mika sees just that in the eerie, abandoned locations she captures in haunting images.

A friend first introduced Mika to the beauty of abandoned locations overcome by the decaying effects of time and in the throes of being reclaimed by nature. The first abandoned location she photographed was a crumbling cement mill in Jaworzno, a small city in southern Poland. And though she has visited numerous other locations since then, over the course of five years, she told weather.com that her trip to Jaworzno is still her favorite.

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“Even if [the places] are completely destroyed, they’re really beautiful,” said Mika. The photographer shares the images to showcase the the architecture and history of the structures, in addition to their decorative elements, such as ceramics and furniture.

“I love to show other people these places and see their shock when they know a certain place is in their city,” Mika said.

She enjoys exploring new places, and the experience of documenting abandoned places gives her an opportunity to see and learn things about photography everyday, she said. Mika currently travels across Silesia, a region in Central Europe that is mostly located in Poland, to capture the beauty of derelict places.

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