The heads of two giant mythological water horses honor Scotland's horselord past.

The 20th-century chapel’s intricate woodwork includes amazing details, most notably angels playing bagpipes.

A labyrinthine network of chambers with a storied past hides below Edinburgh's South Bridge.

Overlooking the burial ground is a tower designed to prevent thieves from snatching the recently deceased.

This otherwise ordinary close on the Royal Mile constituted the end of the world for Edinburgh’s poorest residents.

This early version of the guillotine was used to execute the man responsible for its construction.

This extraordinary Viking artifact has traveled throughout the city.

Many of Edinburgh's more unsavory characters spent their final days behind this door while awaiting their executions.

360° views of the city plus five floors of optical illusions and hands-on science.

The fountain marks the area where hundreds of accused witches were burned at the stake.

A statue in the heart of Edinburgh honors a bear that served in the Polish military during World War II.

Possibly the world's smallest museum is home to one exhibit that sheds light on the capital city's dark criminal history.

Remnants of the 16th-century defensive wall still stand unassumingly within Edinburgh.

A book bound in the skin of an infamous criminal, along with countless other specimens.

This Scottish graveyard is the final resting place of the man who inspired the character Ebenezer Scrooge.

Now home to a drinking establishment, this building has a macabre history.

The dance of this huge clock is a magnificent and eerie commentary on good and evil in the history of humankind.

The taxidermy remains of the first mammal ever cloned from an adult cell are on display in Edinburgh.

Tiny effigies of the victims of Edinburgh's famous Anatomy Murders.

The tomb of one of Scotland's bloody historic villains is a magnet for bumbling desecrators.

Protecting the dead from opportunistic body snatchers.

The most loyal of little dogs, or a Victorian era publicity stunt?

Edinburgh's oldest statue hides within a parking lot behind the city's iconic cathedral.

A sweet symbol marks the place where torturous executions were once carried out.