By Timmy Odejimi
DISTURBING images show the remains of a family home abandoned after Nazi occupation including what looks like a desecrated Jesus on the Cross with the head removed.
From the collection of family photographs, and personal items such as a hanging uniform, religious ornaments, tables and chairs, irons, hamper baskets and jars covered in debris and scattered all over the house, it is thought that the house was deserted upon Nazi Germany’s occupation of Luxembourg which began in May 1940.
It is possible Nazi soldiers removed the head of Jesus from the Cross as a way to strike terror into the local population. Captured by urban explorer Jane Veltmann (32), on a Canon EOS 2OD with a 17-85mm lens, these unnerving pictures display what is thought to be a home once owned by a Catholic family.
“In the pictures, you can see a little abandoned family home in a small village in Luxembourg,” said Jane.
“From the portraits, I think it was a large family.
“I wanted to capture the beauty of decay and give soul and life back into a dead place.”
Despite the deterioration of the house, the images represent a home loved by its owners but invaded by war and violence.
“From a sign outside the house, I know the family home will soon be damaged,” said Jane.
“It is shame because the house has so many personal things like the family photos and religious wall pictures.
“I love the atmosphere you get from abandoned buildings.”
