Photos Of Abandoned Buildings In Europe Show The Beauty In Ruins

German photographer Christian Richter, 36, has spent the past seven years traveling across Europe, photographing the insides of decaying buildings. He is driven by a love for the patterns and textures he discovers, he told HuffPost Greece.

“They remind me that everything is impermanent,” he said.

He started off by photographing old buildings that had been left deserted after the German Reunification in 1989. “I used to explore these buildings without a camera,” Richter recalled. “Years later, a friend gave me his old digicam, and that’s when I fell in love with photographing old buildings.”

His fascination with derelict buildings pushed him to photograph factories, staircases, chapels, theaters and more, located in cities across Europe. "I travel around Europe looking for abandoned buildings," he said.

Richter says he does not make the locations of these buildings public to protect them from vandalism.

You can see more photos on Christian Richter's Instagram account.

This post orginially appeared on HuffPost Greece, and has been translated into English.