specklewrite's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Council Grove, Kansas

Post Office Oak

Once a giant oak that served as the region's post office.
Weskan, Kansas

Mount Sunflower

A whimsical monument marks the highest point in Kansas, not that you could tell by the looks of it.
Vatican City

Vatican City Walls

Historic fortifications form the boundary of Vatican City, but it’s not entirely surrounded by walls.
Marbach, Austria

Mauthausen Memorial

The site of Austria's biggest concentration camp now honors its victims.
Viscri, Romania

Viscri Fortified Church

A medieval church built up to defend its village.
Sighișoara, Romania

Sighișoara Saxon Cemetery

This hauntingly beautiful cemetery outside a medieval citadel is full of winding paths and ivy-covered graves.
Sighișoara, Romania

Towers of Sighișoara

Nine centuries-old fortresses guard the walls of this medieval Romanian city.
Bran, Romania

Bran Castle

The possible imprisonment of Vlad the Impaler here earned the medieval castle its nickname, "Dracula's Castle."
Ottawa, Ontario

Ottawa Jail Hostel

This inexpensive lodging house was once a prison notorious for its inhumane practices.
Ottawa, Ontario

'Maman'

Louise Bourgeois' 30-foot-tall steel spider sculpture.
Toronto, Ontario

CN Tower Stairs

One of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World holds the world's tallest metal staircase.
Montreal, Québec

Le Stade Olympique

A massive Montreal stadium that has seen nothing but trouble since its inception.
Montreal, Québec

Oratoire St. Joseph

City law dictates that this mountaintop cathedral containing the heart of a saint is to remain the tallest building in town.
Québec City, Québec

Château Frontenac

This lovely, if imposing, piece of Canadian gothic is possibly the most photographed hotel in the world.
Montreal, Québec

Notre Dame Basilica

A grand Gothic Revival basilica with stained glass depictions of Montreal's religious history has only one soul resting in its crypt.
Paris, France

Paris Padlocks of Love

The celebrated eyesore created by starry-eyed sweethearts.
Rome, Italy

Lacus Curtius

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

The Dome Illusion

A master of trompe-l'oeil creates a stunning, tourist-fooling dome out of a flat ceiling.
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Lost Third Column

Two stone columns flank the grand Venice square, but there were supposed to be three.
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Clock Tower (Torre dell'Orologio)

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.
Lucerne, Switzerland

Lion of Lucerne

This memorial commemorating fallen Swiss Guards of the French Revolution has been called the saddest stone in the world.
Cripple Creek, Colorado

Christmas Casino & Inn

Inside this casino, visitors are treated to slot machines and a rare German Christmas pyramid.
Victor, Colorado

Black Monarch Hotel

A renovated hotel is bringing new life to a nearly-abandoned mining town in Colorado.
U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado

Cadet Chapel

Air Force Academy Chapel made of 100 identical tetrahedrons works to inspire those of all religions.