A dog owner has shared a series of stunning pictures from a trip to what was once a steel and coal plant in Germany.
Rachelle Huismans-Lardenoye lives in the city of Maastricht in the Netherlands, but frequently takes day trips with her two dogs Bikkel and Ventoux.
In a post on Facebook‘s popular Dogspotting Society group, Huismans-Lardenoye shared pictures from the recent trip and fellow dog lovers were in awe at the incredible park setting.
With over 800 reactions, the pictures were taken at the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord in Duisburg, Germany.
Now a public park, the site was first established as a coal works in 1901 before a series of iron and steel facilities were added as the years went on and the site became a fully functioning industrial complex.
“We take the dogs on day trips very regularly,” Huismans-Lardenoye told Newsweek. “It’s a bit more than an hour drive for us, but we don’t mind. We live 15 minutes from the German border so we go on hikes and trips at a lot of different places in our surrounding countries.”
By the mid-80s, demand for steel had dipped and the factory was left abandoned, and by 1989 fresh ideas were being pondered for the space, and instead of removing all of the elements of the once-booming industrial space, Professor Peter Latz and Partner developed a design for the more than 400-acre space.
In 1994, it was cleaned of pollution and industrial buildings were remodeled to create spaces that are now used for events. The site is also home to a light installation by British artist Jonathan Park, who curated the jaw-dropping spectacle that lights up the former ironworks in the evenings.
Once named one of the most beautiful urban oases in the world by British newspaper The Guardian, the park is home to thousands of plant species that have taken over the once-polluted site.
Activities at the park include climbing, hiking and diving and guided group tours are available both on foot and on bike.
Huismans-Lardenoye owns two dogs, 12-year-old Maltese mix Bikkel and a two-year-old Belgian Shepherd Laekenois called Ventoux.
“They are two confident little ladies,” said the owner. “They love all we do, but we plan our trips so that they have time to do the things they like. They love exploring everything and posing for pictures.”
Not the only dog photoshoot to capture attention recently, a shelter melted hearts when it organized a pregnancy photoshoot for Adira the Staffordshire bull terrier.
Valentine’s Second Chance Animal Rescue in Kansas City gave Adira a beautiful maternity photoshoot while heavily pregnant with a litter of 10 puppies.
In the comments on Facebook, people shared their joy at seeing the posing pups.
“This looks like it’s straight out of a realistic Studio Ghibli film. Love them,” said one commenter, while another wrote: “Great pics and beautiful pups.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
The post Jaws Drop at Dog Photoshoot Among the ‘Decay’ of Abandoned Steel Factory appeared first on Newsweek.
