The taxidermy remains of the first brown bear to enter Germany in 170 years.

King Ludwig I's collection of beautiful women.

The medieval network of canals hidden underneath the city is opened to explorers each year.

If you visit Santa's village, you can get your passport stamped to show you crossed into the Arctic Circle.

Roughly 17 million letters to Santa have found their way to this Arctic Circle post office.

This insurance company building reminds customers that witches, bears, and gnomes are out there, best be insured.

This irregularly shaped sea fortress has defended not one but three different sovereign states.

The house that took a plunge into the facade of a museum.

A silly medieval mural preserved on the side of a Viennese house.

An exquisite Baroque church in Vienna's old town.

Also known as the Square Colosseum, this building is a prime example of fascist-era rationalist architecture.

A mysterious chasm in the heart of the ancient Roman Forum, the Lacus Curtius was once believed to be a gateway to hell.

The statue of a legendary giant who carried Christ and shouldered the world's sins.

A former Latvian headquarters of the brutal KGB secret police is now open as a grim reminder of their atrocities.

Medical museum that houses most notably the taxidermied remains of Vladimir Demikhov's famous two-headed dog experiment.

Flamboyant architecture from the turn of 20th century.

3,000 market stands in five former Zeppelin hangars.

A black cat protests the City Guild in Riga's Old Town.

The oldest housing complex in Riga is a mini timeline of architectural trends.

Latvia's symbolic mountain-shaped national library is home to millions of cultural tomes.

This enigmatic artifact remained buried in a churchyard for years.

A preserved oak tree about 3,500 years old found in Riga, Latvia.

A stone marker and sculpture in the city of Riga stake a claim for the very first community Christmas tree.

Once the fallout shelter of a dictator, this sprawling bunker is now a combined history museum and contemporary art gallery.