SCHOOL GYM [JP]

Exploration #286. In a small village along the Tenyu River in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, an abandoned elementary and middle school gymnasium stands above the valley. Probably closed after local depopulation, it now survives as a silent landmark of rural education.

The village lies on a steep slope rising from the riverbank, with houses and narrow roads clinging to the mountainside. From below, while cycling toward a hotel beyond the settlement, the gymnasium was already visible. Its position made it one of the highest buildings in the village, a sign of how important the school once was locally. Reaching it meant leaving the easy rhythm of the road. The climb became so demanding that the final stretch had to be completed on foot. At the top, the main school building was closed, but the former gymnasium stood without fences or doors.

There is little documented information about the school, but its abandonment suggests a familiar story in rural Japan: shrinking villages, ageing populations and schools closed when there are no longer enough children to fill their classrooms. What remains is a civic building shaped by everyday life. Inside the gym, grass now pushes across the floor. Plants climb toward the roof beams, softening the structure that once echoed with lessons, ceremonies and sports.

Found by chance, this abandoned school gym became an unexpected exploration, suspended between landscape, memory and the quiet decline of a mountain village.

BULGARIAN FORGOTTEN SCHOOLS [BG]

Exploration #282 Bulgarian forgotten schools. Across Bulgaria, hundreds of villages have been gradually abandoned, leaving behind a landscape marked by silence and decay. Nearly 200 settlements are now completely uninhabited, while around 500 count fewer than ten residents. Among the most visible remnants of this demographic collapse are rural schools, once central to community life.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Bulgaria was predominantly agricultural, with about 80% of its population living in small villages. Even the smallest settlements typically had a church and a primary school, where children of different ages often shared the same classroom. Larger villages also hosted vocational schools, preparing older students for technical professions.

The decline of these institutions began after World War II, when the communist regime promoted rapid urbanization and industrialization. However, the most dramatic population loss occurred after the fall of communism in the late 20th century, when land privatization and economic instability accelerated migration toward cities and abroad. Today, rural population levels have dropped by approximately 60%. As villages emptied, schools lost their purpose. Many were closed due to the lack of children, leaving behind classrooms, laboratories, and educational materials. In some cases, interiors remain partially preserved: science rooms with equipment, books, and even biological specimens stored in formaldehyde, untouched but slowly deteriorating.

These abandoned schools represent more than neglected buildings. They are tangible records of a profound social transformation, reflecting the decline of rural life and the shifting economic realities that reshaped Bulgaria over the past century.

CONVENTO BLU [IT]

Exploration #210 Convento Blu. The construction of the building, called the Convento Blu (Blue Convent) because of its beautiful frescoed refectory, took place around the first half of the 15th century when Pope Eugene IV gave permission to the order of Friars Minor to erect a convent near the city of Terni. The friars chose as the site for the convent the top of a hill, called, at the time, Colle Lauro. The land was private so the municipality bought it and also provided 100 gold florins for its construction. Work began around January 1443. Besides the convent, a road paved with stones was also built. Over the years, the convent was expanded to include a school for novices, a boarding school for students and a wool factory. The site was able to accommodate up to 80 monks.

In 1928, the municipality decided to use the former convent as a rest home for the elderly, which was inaugurated in 1929 and named after Alessandro Mussolini. The rest home operated until 1989. After this date, the residents were transferred to the USL geriatric centre, together with all the staff.

The facility was later abandoned and in its current state of condition, it is unusable. In 2011, the municipality of Terni put the building up for sale, but all auctions were unsuccessful.