This impressive collection of rare books on ancient mysticism inspired author Dan Brown.

This gorgeous reading room houses the oldest and largest art history library in the Netherlands.

Cat art as far as the eye can see.

Established in 1638 to battle the Black Death, Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam is a treasure trove of rare flora.

The world's first zoo for microbes collecting the horrible and wonderful things living on and around us.

Museum preserving torture methods from the past.

A curious collection dedicated to human and animal anatomy and pathology.

An Amsterdam street lined with antique shops each one dedicated to a different obscure collection.

The world's only museum devoted to the wonders of fluorescence.

This series of Baroque passageways in Vienna's cultural center mix old architecture with modern art.

A tropical paradise just a short trip from the opera house is filled with beautiful winged creatures.

Dine amidst exotic plants at this former royal greenhouse.

The beautiful baroque library of the Hapsburg empire.

The final resting place for the remains of 143 Habsburg royalty.

The crypt of the imposing Stephensdom holds royal intestines and thousands of skeletons.

A small museum filled with over 1,000 clocks, and one particular clock calibrated to run until the year 9999.

Cold storage for agricultural biodiversity.

This abandoned mining village was predicted to resist decay longer than any other modern human settlement.

In the northernmost city in the world, it's illegal to be buried because it’s too cold for bodies to decompose.

Thousands of birds nest in the cliffs while arctic foxes prowl below.

The world's northernmost flowers cling tenuously to life on desolate Kaffeklubben Island.

A 19th century artistocrat's mansion, turned into a library, hidden in a modern library.

This hidden art nouveau gem was designed by an architect in search of a national style.

Beautiful antiques and obscure engineering artifacts trace the evolution of phones from rare luxuries to ubiquitous.