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Shelly Fourer

50 Times The Internet Solved Photo Mysteries Better Than Google Maps

OP (Person) Grandad

If you enjoyed our publications on the subreddit What Is This Thing? and the detective work that goes on over there, you'll love this one too.

Called Where Was This Taken?, it's “same-same, but different.”

People come to the online community exclusively to share a picture and ask its members to pinpoint the location where it was snapped. And many do!

From rural coastlines and mountain valleys to busy highways and city squares — they never shy away from a challenge. Must be those GeoGuessr pros!

#1 My Father Passed Away More Than 10 Years Ago, But I Recently Found This Photo Of Him. I Know It’s Not A Lot To Go On, But Doesn’t Anyone Recognize The Location?

Broken_Syntax_01: Did he ever go to Turkiye? Go look at the photo spheres available close to this location. It's in that bay just northwest of Kalkan Beach Park.
36°15'31"N 29°24'10"E
Im-Henrik: This is a remarkable find.
Absyntho: Awesome find! He was most likely exactly here.

#2 Grandad On Holiday Late 1970s

Hi all - can any of you lovely folks nail this down for me please? The carrier bag strongly suggests Wales, but I know that Grandad had a trip to Oban in that approximate era so it might be a red herring. I’m confident it’s late 1970s, or 1980 at the latest.

mcintg: Outside the Hydro hotel in Llandudno Wales.

#3 1958 Western Germany Futuristic Gas Station, Anybody Know Exact Location?

Kat75018: Bochum Germany, you're looking at the old Aral Headquarters. I think the new headquarters are at the same place.

MK2555GSFX: The building in the background is the old Aral HQ building in Bochum.
According to this site the new HQ was built on the site of the old one, so that puts it here.
If we're assuming that there's a fuel station on this site still, then it must be this one.

#4 Stock Photo From A Textbook Cover. Probably Too General A Landscape, But Any Ideas?

romulusnr: OP, thank you for the hunt. I believe I have found it.
I tracked the image back to a German photography company PPAM, and then to a photographer Manuel Gutjahr, and he has other photos on his Flickr which appear to be in the same location. It is Amrum Island, Germany. Compare to Google Maps photos such as this one.
Also pics on his IG.

#5 Where Is My Dad Playing Golf In The 70’s? I’m Assuming It’s In The UK Somewhere

MahatmaAndhi: Looks like Turnberry in Scotland.

Logical-History-36: Turnberry golf course (now Trump Turnberry) in South Ayrshire.

#6 Corstorphine Scotland? Old Family Photo Of A Great Great Relative. Looking For This Building If Anyone Recognizes It

My folks are in Edinburgh, Scotland for a few days and seeing if we can track it down while they are near!

KPV_UK: Best guess is on St Johns Road, here's a street view.

#7 Which Train Station? Taw Valley Steam Locomotive, UK, Early 90s. Any Ideas?

h_a_z_: Oh wow! So this was my dad's loco. He worked on it with Bert (mentioned in another post) after rescuing it from a scrap yard in Barry Island in 1980 and restored it at Grosmont works on the North York Moors.
They had two engines, the other being 75014 - On my 16th birthday in the 90's I lit the first fire in one of their refurbished tenders (I can't remember which one it was, it's been a LONG time!). It ran all over the UK.
My dad is probably firing it in this photo. I asked him where it was taken. He said, frustratingly, "No Idea".
EDIT: He said "could be Faversham"
EDIT 2: "Not Faversham. That was the Black Five as well, later than Taw Valley. It will be further out west."
EDIT 3: "Could be Ashford but hard to tell now as it was redeveloped for Eurostar"
EDIT 4: looks like it is Ashford, here's a photo of the Taw Valley nameplate on our wall along with the Hogwarts Express nameplate that was made when they did the UK book launch for book 3 of Harry Potter and the loco was repainted and renamed for the tour. Nameplate

LieutenantClownCar: That's my hometown, Ashford in Kent. There's an ugly ass, mostly abandoned high-speed train station there now. I literally grew up about a mile down the road from here, where the line splits off to go to Canterbury. We used to get the Orient Express parked out the back of our house, and I'm fairly certain I remember seeing the Golden Arrow(?) idling out back once or twice in the 90's. Memory is a little fuzzy on that one however.

#8 Found This Picture Among My Uncle's Things. Back Of Photo Says "Germany". It Was Taken While He Served Overseas During WWII. What City Is It?

Original_March_170: Bahnhof Bökel. See the article.

#9 I Really Need To Know

QuarckNL: Juta, Georgia.
Location on map.

#10 Where Is My Grandfather?

Findingjuno: Dwygyfylchi village and the sychnant pass, North Wales
Shown on this post card.

This seems to be location of the glen hotel in bottom right of picture and the building in the distance matches. So I presume your grandad was roughly here looking north east.

#11 Trying To Find This House In Dorset

In a folder of old photos from a distant relative, I have found this old photograph, with a caption on the back written: “Raithby, Branksome, Dorset.”

I know that the house belonged to an old relative, who was a minister “Richard Walker”

Just seeing if anyone has an idea of if the house is still standing?

Figusto: Crescent Road, Poole (the area of Branksome in Poole)
The street view above shows the house, but it has scaffolding on it. Look at an older streetview and you'll see the house, which used to be known as Raithby.
Just adding: a bishop by the name of Rev Thomas Greenland used to live there until he [passed away] in 1904 (according to a newspaper article from the time).

#12 Please Help Me ID The Location Of This Photo Of My Great Grandfather Antonio On A Bridge. It Was Likely Taken In Italy But Could Be Anywhere In Europe. Thank You!

hudsonSpan: Well, despite the very long distance from Italy, this may be the Queen Elizabeth Park bridge in Masterton New Zealand. Built in the 1930s and it is still standing. Located at 40°56'52.7"S 175°40'12.7"E. The towers, deck, railing, suspender clips are good matches, but the towers of the actual Masterton bridge strike me as being slightly wider than your photo.

hudsonSpan: The more I research the more I think this bridge was rebuilt in the late 1930s to the same design, possibly just with new towers and the same suspension system. A catastrophic flood hit Masterton in 1934. It may have partially destroyed the bridge. There was also an earthquake in 1942, but the current bridge seems to date to the late 1930s. OP's image appears to show the original bridge. Images cited as being in the 1920s all seem to show a bridge with slightly narrower towers than the current bridge.Either it was rebuilt or there was a nearby sister structure no longer standing.

#13 My Mom Would Love To Know The Location Of This Old Photo

boxtylad: It's on Herengtacht (near 384), just north of the intersection with Leidesgracht - approx google street view here. Attempt at juxtaposing old and new here.
Things to compare between the two - though you might have to move around in google maps to compare some of these; it's unfortunately not possible to get the exact same angle as the original photographer on street view, so you might have to bounce between a few nearby vantage points to see all the correspondences.

The building on the corner here isn't facing into the canal that's heading to the right; instead the building is facing to the left.
It's also a rather unusual double-gabled building - rather than two separate buildings side-by-side
To the left of that building on the corner are a several buildings with flat root profiles - that's pretty unusual in Amsterdam, where most buildings have the classic Dutch stepped or peaked gables
The kiosk with the conical top in the foreground is still there (as is the lamp in front of it!)
This isn't a typical canal with bridge - it's a T-intersection, where we're looking along the curve of the canal, not just across to the opposite side
The third or fourth house to the right of the corner one sticks up just a bit higher than the others

#14 We Found This Photo In My Grandad’s Collection. We Think It Was Taken In The Early 1940s, Somewhere In Aberdeenshire

During WW2 he was training at Kingseat Hospital, New Marchar and we think this a photo of a day out with other trainees at the hospital. I don’t have much more contact to provide, unfortunately, although the castle looking tower in the background should help?!

Grateful for any efforts!

wasthatitthen: Balmoral, it would seem.

#15 This Was Either Taken In England Or Australia 1944-46

fuzzywuzzy20: Lincoln, alongside the cathedral its just out of frame on the right

Consultingtesting: Ok so I posted to Lincolnshire Reddit and they nailed it. Here's the link.
Thanks for your contributions.

#16 My Brother Pulled This Out Of An Armchair Just Now. Nobody In The Family Knows Anything About It

My parents bought the chair in the 1990s in Singapore. My grandparents were from Canada so maybe it comes from one of their pockets and slipped out years ago?

MonkeyPawWishes: Tammy Ten was a racecar from Ontario in the 1960s.

maccapackets: This is correct. You can see Driver Harv Lennox and Mechanic Joe Suhr painted on the back. The photo was likely taken at Nilestown Speedway east of London Ontario.

#17 My Grandfather During Wwii. We Have Letters From His Time In France, But No More Information Is Know About His Possible Location Here

Balthamous: I believe this is it, it's in Marseille, link.

#18 Taken In The Mid To Late 60s Somewhere In The UK

reclueso: I reckon that might be Carne Beach, Veryan, Cornwall.

#19 Does Anyone Know This Village? Looks Very German To Me

QuarckNL: It’s in Schiltach, Germany.

#20 My Grandmother Passed Away Recently, Where Was She In These Photos?

As per the title, grandmother passed away recently and we found these photos where nobody knows where she went. AFAIK, she never left the UK or even had a passport.

I also add two poor AI versions that remove her and do some guesswork to give a better idea of the scene. Reverse image searching didn’t produce any results. I also tried a Google search of UK Lidos for the first photo but it may not be a Lido, but a pond of some sort?

Anyway, appreciate any help anyone can offer!

Own_Situation6300: Lynmouth, just by the Glen Lyn Gorge.

#21 My Father Studied In England In The Late 1960s

I think this is in Austria due to the hat on the man on the right, and also because my father had a good friend who married an Austrian and migrated to Austria, so it stands to reason he would have gone to visit his friend at some point.

TheCrookitFigger: Yes view from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you can see the same view here at 0:57

#22 This Was My Grandad In Early 1950s In Germany. Anyone Know Exactly Where Either Photo Was Taken? Thanks

slothtastic1: They are standing in front of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin.

#23 Where Was This Photo Taken?

This is my Grandad who used to take my Grandma on holidays to seaside towns in the UK. They were based in Lancashire but I known they made trips to the South Coast, even on the moped!

Grandad was born last 30s making this maybe late 60s early 70s?

All my family are gone now so I've nobody to ask where it was taken ... hoping I can maybe visit and recreate the photo.

Fingers crossed.

Logical-History-36: On the prom at Morecambe. Behind him is Ted’s Grill on the corner of Marine Road West and Albert Road, but sadly it’s not there anymore and it’s now just the Clarendon Hotel car park.

#24 Salzburg, 1989 But Where?

martinedoesgis: Hagenauerplatz.
Edit : looking at the angle, you took the picture from a window of the yellow building, Mozart's birth house.

#25 What Building Was This Most Likely Taken From? Thanks!

Arch2000: I think it’s a backdrop. It’s a similar height and vantage point from the Empire State Buildjng, but the lack of railings/safety equipment gives it away.

5h4tt3rpr00f:

From the angle to the Empire State (and UN), there are no taller buildings in that direction (World Trade is further South, etc). As others have said, likely a photo from a plane over the Hudson.

#26 I Want To Recreate This Photo But Can't Find The Location

Donkey-Haughty: This photo was taken from 355 high road Wembley. Taken at the exactly the corner of 355 high road and ecclestone place.

#27 On A Work Computer Screen, And It Doesn't Show The Location Like It Normally Would

SylvanPrincess: Apparently, it’s El Peñol de Guatapé in Colombia. It looks stunning.

#28 Where In Peckham Was This Taken?

Logical-History-36: Commercial Way in Peckham. The road with the white car is the junction with Peckham Hill St, and the block you can see behind the Unionist Club is Collinson House. Sister Mabel’s Way is now where the Unionist Club was.

ignoramusprime: Here.

#29 Picture Of My Mom From The 90s? Maybe Italy. Any Idea What Building This Is?

AustinBrock: Outside The Sound of Vienna.

#30 Where Did My Grandfather Live In 1943

My grandfather before he got deployed to the martial islands in WW2. I understand they were taken in Strawberry Mansions Philadelphia. Can anyone identify the street based on the buildings in the back round?

SvenneLoser: N Bailey Street here.
I believe he’s outside the house with green/blue steps if you just turn around (unfortunately Google has blurred out most of the significant buildings, but Apple maps provide better pics)

#31 Can Someone Tell Me Where This Cabin Is My Mom Loves The Image And Wants To See It In Person But I Have No Idea Where To Even Look To See If That's Possible

anon: Thailand. Here.
sensuspete: I was gonna say it looks like AI, turns out it's ThAI. Beautiful.

#32 A Picture Of My Great Grandfather's Platoon During Wwii. My Grandmother Believes It's Either Somewhere In Germany Or France

BillyD123455: You should get some good info here.

Building is the Palais de Justice, Brussels, Belgium.

BottyFlaps: This looks like the approximate spot on Google Street View.

#33 Anyone Know Where This Was Taken?

FernsideModels: Likely Venice?
DM99: Found this Instagrammer who agrees...
But annoyingly he doesn't say where it is in Venice either.

#34 Where Was This Taken? Possibly South Of England

anon: Looks like Station Road, Tidworth (here).
If you look at old photos, there was a field and car park (top right of the photo) where the Tesco store is now located.

#35 Anyone Know Where This Is, Please? ❤️

Mental_Locke: It's in Singapore. Somewhere near the Marina Bay Sands hotel.

#36 Somewhere In Paris, Can Anyone Help Me Find The Exact Location?

My grandpa recently passed away and I found this beautiful photo in his archives - A souvenir from Paris, where him and my grandma, both Italians, lived for a while after moving to France.

I would be eternally grateful if someone could help my family identify where this photo was taken!

pop_six_squish_: I think this is the gardens next to the Louvre, Jardin des Tuileries.

#37 Maybe New England?

gotoguns: Pretty sure this is the Patagonia Marathon.

Akroaxen: I heard back from the photographer and apparently it’s Chilean Patagonia!

#38 I Have A Stack Of WW2 Photos From My Grandfather (Who Is From Northern Germany). Where Has He Been?

boxtylad: Opera, Paris - street view.

#39 Taken Out The Window Somewhere Between Greece And England

InbhirNis: Looks like Chioggia and the Venetian Lagoon to me.

#40 I've Seen This Photo Titled As Edinburgh In The 1960s But I'm Sure It's Not. Does Anyone Know Where It Is?

Academic_Split2206: The foreground is the roof of Marischal College in Aberdeen, looking west along Upperkirkgate. There are some different buildings there now, but the church spires are the same, and it's definitely [edit] the Kirk of St Nicholas to the left of the image.

#41 Recognize The Statue At The Top Of This Monument/Building??

Birdseeding: It's on the National Theatre of Cluj-Napoca, so Hungary was not a bad guess. (It was in Hungary when it was built.)

#42 Probably Taken Scotland Or Wales

Would love to know where this photo was taken. My grandad on a motorbike touring holiday.

NoSheepherder7287: 5 sisters of kintail from the Ratagan road?

Cyanopicacooki: It's been forested since then, but roughly the area.

#43 Trying To Find This Road- This Is Taken In The Lake District Or Slightly Further Up, Between The Red Lines In The Second Pic. Any Ideas?

wasthatitthen: Crummock water. Link.

#44 Where Was This Taken? From Google Lens Search It Showed Up As Hull, But On Which Street Was It Taken? I Think It Had Been Demolished By Now

My_lo_73: Harper St,/Middleport. Kingston upon Hull.

#45 Is This Picture From 1976 Or Circa Late 2000s?

It might seem like a dumb question but the pic was found on Flickr and says July 4th 1976 but looks very modern to me and some of the people look heavy weight and the color of photo is hit or miss

romulusnr: The building being constructed in the background appears to be the SouthShore Condominimums, which were supposedly completed in 2008.
This looks like the location of this pool, which is apparently no longer a pool.
More info.
The original pool was built in 1976, though. So that may be what the date was originally meant to indicate.

#46 Does Anyone Recognize The Style Of Buildings? This Was The 1951, And Somewhere In Europe (Not UK)

SimonX153: I live in a house that is the same style. Its called Backsteinexpressionismus (brick expressionism). There is a Wikipedia article about it:
"The term Brick Expressionism (German: Backsteinexpressionismus) describes a specific variant of Expressionist architecture that uses bricks, tiles or clinker bricks as the main visible building material. Buildings in the style were erected mostly in the 1920s, primarily in Germany and the Netherlands,[1] where the style was created."

Jenkins_Fish: Copenhagen is littered with these kind of apartment-buildings. "Herskabslejligheder" which was apartments for the upper middle-class and above.

#47 Europe 1950s? Germany?

Weary_apparatchik: Victor Emmanuel Monument in Rome.

#48 Somewhere In Germany Or Europe?

Arch2000: First one looks like the tower bridge in London.

anon: Second one is Marseille, France.

Additional_Yam_3794: 3rd one most likely is Lucerne Switzerland. Looking near the shore (or on bord of a ship) of Lake Lucerne towards mount Pilatus.

#49 Could This Be Greece?

martinedoesgis: It's definitely not lake Como in Italy
Clearly photoshopped, here's the same without the peer, image first appeared on internet in 2012 it seems
Edit : Yep, original picture here.
Taken in Asos, Greece, I'd say from a beach down there.

#50 A Friend Of Mine Had These Old Glass Negatives Passed Down To Him Recently, Anyone Know Where They Were Taken?

domsp79: Looks like Furness Abby.

Birdseeding: Yep, here's the view in the last image more or less exactly.

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