Urbex Monde

A word from the editor:

Urban exploration allows you to immerse yourself in a forgotten past in places frozen in time. Peeling paint, rusty iron, broken glass, Soviet remains, places abandoned to nature… Thirty-five mythical places from urban exploration. From the ghost town of Pripyat in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to the sandy houses of Kolmanskop in Namibia, you are about to travel the globe through places abandoned by man. From Japan to Argentina, from Cuba to Kazakhstan via Taiwan and the Old Continent, you will discover the most beautiful things on the planet in terms of “decay”. This decadence, this wear and tear of places linked to the passage of time, is the red thread of this work. Discover thirty-five secret places sometimes intact, all abandoned by human society and reinvested by nature.

A word from the author :

I am delighted to present 35 of the most beautiful/interesting places I have been able to visit across the planet. With 25 countries presented, it will take you on a real world tour of abandoned places! It gives pride of place to texts with stories of visits, history of places and crisp anecdotes.

PRESS REVIEW

“Crazy photos of completely crazy places!” Bruno Guillon, Fun Radio morning show (translated from French)

“Jonk takes us to Japan, Argentina, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Taiwan and of course Europe. In old theaters, hotels, castles, industrial sites… An invitation to an urban journey marked by the wear and tear of time and also an incitement to the greatest caution in these places which can be dangerous and to respect even degraded sites.” Ouest France (translated from French)

“In this book, Jonk invites us on a world tour. From Latvia to Serbia, from Belgium to Hungary, from Montenegro to Kazakhstan, from Namibia to Taiwan, he puts into practice the ideas developed by Offenstadt. His photos tell us about history and at the same time carry a dilapidated industrial beauty which constitutes a true aesthetic which transcends continents and bears witness to what the 20th century was. If the former Soviet republics carve out a major share here, we do not believe that the West is exempt from this decrepitude. But here as there, a paradoxical form of beauty is present.” La Provence (translated from French)

“You absolutely must buy and read Urbex monde!” Renaud Dély, 28-minute program on Arte (translated from French)

“Extraordinary adventures, absolutely magnificent photos, a very beautiful book with fascinating texts! A book and a crush.” Sidonie Bonnec, Minute Papillon show on France bleu (translated from French)

“Spanning an open-air Taiwanese warehouse to a Cuban theater teeming with vibrant leaves, the sites that Jonathan Jimenez visits are relics of the industries and cultural institutions of the past. The French photographer, who works as Jonk, has cultivated a practice centered on documenting abandoned structures around the globe, many of which have been cloaked in mosses, lush foliage, and even jungle-like vegetation. In his most recent collection, Jonk visits 35 locations in 25 countries and captures the crumbling roofs, peeling facades, and rusted trains in their midst. He compiles the series in his seventh book titled Urbex Monde, which pairs the largely architectural photos with notes, histories of the sites, and anecdotes from his encounter.” Colossal

READERS’ OPINION

“Very nice set of photos of unusual places.” Régis, Fnac (translated from French)

“A beautiful journey on matte pages, which surprised me at first… A beautiful book that transports you elsewhere. A quick and easy read.” Marie B. Fnac (translated from French)

“Beautiful photos taken around the world.” Dominique, Fnac (translated from French)

“Jonk delights us once again with this book. Beautiful photos, accompanied by heartfelt texts… we travel to these forgotten and lost worlds. I loved it.” Max, Amazon (translated from French)

“The photos are magnificent, the texts teach us a bit more each time, and the whole thing really makes you want to visit these extraordinary places.” Starlord, Amazon (translated from French)

“I’ve finished Urbex Monde, it’s a banger, it’s amazing! I’ll probably place an order for the last book… I really enjoyed it! Thank you for this journey!” Théo, Instagram (translated from French)