K & K, Austria

K & K was built in the 1870s, and was a test centre for telegraph and wireless telephone technology, with associated office space. An on-site post office was also housed on the ground floor. Sadly, the building has been completely stripped now and not even office furniture remains. The building is massive, covering nearly 2,300m squared. There are 3 main floors, as well as a multi-storey basement and attic space. The architecture is very impressive; Corinthian columns in the main entrance foyer, and four-pillar Tuscan columns supporting the impressive main central staircase with wrought iron railings. On the third floor are the large telecommunication equipment rooms, with huge arched windows. These are over 7m tall and up to 40m long. Hundreds of people would have worked in these halls, both day and night.

K & K was abandoned in 1990’s. Over the following years there were plans to convert the building into a hotel, but plans fell through several times. The building has been used in recent years for drama performances, movie premiers and art installations. Currently the site is owned by an Austrian bank, with plans to convert into up to 40 high-end luxury apartments.

Our visit to this place marked the end of a very long day of driving, and was the perfect way to end an amazing day. We were truly blown away by the size and grandeur of this building, and lost each other several times during the course of our explore. We spent several hours wandering around K & K, taking in the scale and grandeur of the corridors and staircases. From the exterior view of the main entrance, you would not know this building is abandoned as it blends seamlessly with the architecture of the surrounding Austrian town centre.