daveschaaf's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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London, England

Tulip Stairs

The first geometric self-supporting spiral stairs in Britain are a truly beautiful sight.
Sant Quirze Safaja, Spain

Church of Sant Miquel del Fai

An enchanting monastery in the Spanish countryside appears lifted from a fantasy tale.
London, England

Leadenhall Market

This ornate Victorian marketplace was the setting for Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron in the Harry Potter films.
Rome, Italy

Papal Hearts at Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Trevi

This former Roman Catholic Church still contains the embalmed hearts and organs of 22 popes.
London, England

Hunterian Museum

The anatomical-pathological collection of a man who changed surgery.
Rome, Italy

The Head of St. John the Baptist at San Silvestro in Capite

One of several skulls claiming to belong to the beheaded St. John the Baptist is on display at this Roman church.
Rome, Italy

Saint Victoria's Incorruptible Body

The martyr's wax-enhanced skeletal remains lie preserved in a glass case in the Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.
Tokyo, Japan

Tamon-ji (Tanuki Temple)

Home to a legend of the supernatural raccoon dog, a rare wooden structure of Edo, and witnesses of the Tokyo bombings.
Tokyo, Japan

Oiteke Bori

This water goblin statue represents a 19th-century urban legend about a haunted canal that became a Japanese idiom.
Tokyo, Japan

Sōgenji Temple (Kappa-Dera)

Shrine to Japanese water-goblins, complete with their preserved body parts.
London, England

Two Princes Staircase

Richard III supposedly disposed of his nephews' bodies here in an effort to seal his claim to the throne.
Rothwell, England

Rothwell Bone Crypt

Under a church hides a forgotten 13th-century ossuary containing the remains of around 2,500 people.
Brixworth, England

All Saints' Church, Brixworth

This church is considered the largest and most complete Saxon church in England.
Madrid, Spain

House of Beasts of Retiro Park

The remains of the second-oldest zoo in Europe can be seen within these library gardens.
London, England

London Underground Labyrinths

A labyrinth hides in plain sight at each of the city's 270 Tube stations.
London, England

Crystal Palace Subway

A relic of Victorian grandeur hides beneath a busy South London road.
London, England

Euston's Lost Tunnels

A network of concealed passageways lies within a busy London Underground station.
Madrid, Spain

Moncloa Lighthouse

Inaugurated three times, this tower offers some of the best views of Madrid.
Madrid, Spain

Casa de los Lagartos (Lizards House)

A masterpiece of Rationalist architecture in the center of Madrid with lizards on it.
Madrid, Spain

Queen Victoria Bridge

This modernist bridge highlights the bear as a symbol of Madrid.
Madrid, Spain

Obelisk of Arganzuela

Built to celebrate the glory of a new queen, this forgotten monument has moved around Madrid three times, reflecting 200 years of political whims and city redevelopment.
Madrid, Spain

La Fuentecilla

This historic fountain is a favorite neighborhood meeting point.
Madrid, Spain

Cárcel de la Corona (Crown Prison)

Hidden under a center for the elderly are the dungeons which were used during the Spanish Inquisition.
Madrid, Spain

La Posada del Peine (Comb Inn)

In this 400-year-old hotel in Madrid, you'll find a comb in every room, an old clock, and maybe a ghost.