A small but hugely whimsical theater where marionettes play out the "The Battle of Stalingrad."

Unusual building appears to be haphazardly built from randomly piled bricks.

A museum glorifying the life of Stalin, located in the city of his birth.

Despite producing just a handful of movies, a brave and lyrical filmmaker has an entire museum dedicated to him.

A small town Romanian cemetery filled with darkly humorous gravestones.

A memorial museum to the political prisoners who were held at Sighet Prison, once one of the most feared places in Romania.

Five sultans and their families rest in eternal splendor, teeming with overlooked beauty and drama.

This retro, UFO-like structure is a remnant of the Soviet-era circus.

An unusual and beautiful form of mass transit serves the city's steepest neighborhoods.

Bullet holes in the church wall are a reminder of the violence that followed the assassination of a high-ranking Nazi officer.

The colonial city's social history is reflected in its fanciful door knockers.

A small etching on the white marble parapet was written in runic script by a Viking mercenary.

An old drug store full of mortars and pestles, pill-making machines, and medicines reputed to cure most any illness.

The fanciest public restroom in New York City boasts fresh flowers, art, and a classical music soundtrack.

One of the world's tallest statues is also one of its most hated.

A museum in the former home of Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky.

Frida Kahlo's childhood home, now a museum of her life and works.

An island filled with hundreds of hanging, decomposing, decapitated dolls.

Two identical statues by Fernando Botero, one blown to pieces in a terrorist bombing, the other donated as a gift for peace.

This elegant Colombian fortress was one of the torture headquarters for the Spanish Inquisition.

The Andean town where every single building is decorated with a brightly colored frieze.

A 10 million-ton rock once worshiped by the Tahamies Indians, accessed by an astounding staircase.

The only castle in North America to ever house European sovereigns.

Part bookstore, part café, and part forest.