The town of Bitterfeld to the south of Berlin was at the heart of the East German chemicals industry. After reunification, the industry collapsed and entire chemical plants, and neighbouring roads and railway lines, became derelict and decaying.

There was free access to this area of railway sidings with the disused chemical plant beyond. It was eerie. Dereliction is a fascinating photographic subject. Today this plant will have been modernised or maybe the site is used for something entirely different - a cut-price retail estate perhaps.

About the photos

This image is from the portfolio of Aidan O'Rourke photographer writer website publisher. Most images are copyright Aidan O'Rourke and may be available as prints or high resolution files. Some images are by other artists, and are published with their approval, or are included in reviews of their work.

The portfolio contains a wide range of themes and image formats. The images are used to illustrate articles on this site, and to provide information about the subjects depicted.

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Keywords: Bitterfeld East Germany, DDR, German Reunification, derelict eastern Germany, Bitterfeld chemical industry, Bitterfeld, Sachsen-Anhalt, Deutschland (bw)