Urban exploration , abbreviated to urbex exploration (from the English urban exploration), is a hobby that consists of visiting built and abandoned urban areas , the urban explorer is commonly called an urbexer.
This activity consists of visiting hidden or difficult-to-access places , such as private mansions, schools, abandoned warehouses, hospitals or sanatoriums , etc. In the most extreme cases, the practice consists of visiting explicitly forbidden places, such as subway tunnels, catacombs and roofs (buildings, monuments, etc.). As a result, it combines various so-called "underground" activities including cataphilia and roofing, it is closely associated with sports activities such as climbing or parkour . The practice has rapidly spread with the emergence of social media and video platforms, particularly thanks to YouTube.
Today, the practice of urbex is modified in some places to become "ruin tourism" , this type of tourism is facilitated by tour operators who are responsible for visiting abandoned places.Urban exploration includes different methods of practice that can have different motivating factors. A sense of adventure is an integral part of the element. Some will focus on historical context , old and abandoned structures. Many urbex enthusiasts are interested in cultural heritage and believe that urbex, when combined with certain conditions, can help preserve and remember the history of sites . Sometimes urban expeditions help restore or report on abandoned archival collections.
