Shadows of a Forgotten World

These metal curiosities found on many of Lviv's balconies are plant hangers. Most remain unused these days, but some people still use them to decorate their balconies and courtyards with beautiful flowers. Others have found new purposes for them. Repurposed to dry shoes

A few old Rikstelefon phone booths can still be found in Stockholm.  Rikstelefon was a brand of Televerket, which was a Swedish government agency responsible for telecommunications from 1853 to 1993. Rikstelefon means that the telephone could connect between cities (i.e. long-distance). These last two are located in Stockholm's open-air museum Some of the old phone booths have been repurposed for other uses, for example, one was turned into a mini library

A sampling of Stockholm's various kinds of guard stones . Stone Cannon Pipes Finding these only confirmed that the cannon that I saw in Riga  were indeed used as guard stones Next to this cannon is a rune stone, which is 1,000 years old.  More info about it here . Metal

An interesting article in the Guardian about the world's "ghost stations." "Underground travel has become a familiar routine for millions of urban dwellers, but most commuters are unaware that lurking on the other side of the walls are the remains of abandoned stations, slowly deteriorating. Known as "ghost stations", they are silent but powerful reminders of forgotten history." image from the Guardian