Author(s): Jonathan Jimenez

Architecture | Eastern Europe

Spomeniks literally meaning 'Monuments' in Serbo-Croatian, look like spaceships conspicuously parked up in the middle of nowhere, alien to their surroundings, their bizarre beauty deriving from both their location and imaginative symbolism. Follow in the footsteps of French photographer Jonathan 'Jonk' Jimenez as he tries to track down these super-sized public structures. Once numbering in their thousands and attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, in particular "young pioneers" for their communist and patriotic education. Pushing architecture to its limits, Spomeniks are what happens when brutalism, symbolism, space age aesthetics and abstraction meet.

Author Biography: A passionate photographer since an early age, Jonathan (Jonk) Jimenez discovered urban exploration a decade ago. Starting with the catacombs and rooftops of Paris, it lead to abandoned spaces with fabulous decor and extraordinary atmosphere. While photographing he found a particular interest in those scenes created by nature taking back inhabited spaces. He has spent the last number of years looking for these places and his adventures have led him to explore more than 600 abandoned locations in 25 countries.