evanmcelrath's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Washington, D.C.

Capitol Bollards

The 5.5-mile ring of steel posts around the Capitol Building is one of the largest (and most uniform) of its kind in the world.
Washington, D.C.

The Mary Surratt Boarding House

The house where John Wilkes Booth conspired with his co-conspirators.
Washington, D.C.

Site of the Union Station Train Crash

A 1,100-ton train fell through the floor in 1953. Workers got it patched up in just 72 hours.
Berlin, Germany

The Bendlerblock

After a nearly successful attempt on Hitler's life, the conspirators met their fate in the courtyard of this Berlin building.
Berlin, Germany

Berlin-Friedrichstrasse Railway Station

Cold war icon and onetime "hole" in the iron curtain.
Berlin, Germany

Vestiges of the Berlin Wall

On the Spree bank, discover one of the last reminders of a symbolic wall that divided, and was torn down by the people.
Berlin, Germany

The DDR Museum

A fascinating insight into daily life in the Eastern Bloc.
Berlin, Germany

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Thousands of coffin-like pillars make up this controversial Holocaust memorial.
Berlin, Germany

Stasi Museum

A museum dedicated to the history of a terrifying secret police is now held in their former headquarters.
Munich, Germany

Wurmeck

A fearsome dragon clings to a corner of Munich's city hall.
Munich, Germany

Rathaus-Glockenspiel

Daily jousts and dancing barrel makers in Munich's mechanical clock.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Ratstrinkstube Clock Tower

Every hour the doors open to reenact the legend of the heroic mayor who saved his town by drinking a gallon of wine.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Medieval Crime Museum

Horrifically creative torture devices and shame punishments line the walls of this chilling museum.
Salzburg, Austria

Schloss Hellbrunn

Trick water gardens from 1619 featuring a 200 piece mechanical theater powered by water.
Cabazon, California

Cabazon Dinosaurs

The "world's biggest dinosaur" once housed a creationist museum in its abdomen.
Garden Grove, California

Christ Cathedral (Crystal Cathedral)

Megachurch turned Catholic church comprised of 10,000 glass panes.
Los Angeles, California

Watts Towers

America's most famous piece of self-built architecture.
Long Beach, California

RMS Queen Mary

The awe-inspiring ship from the golden era of cruising has an incomparable history and a reputation as one of the world’s most haunted places.
San Jose, California

Quetzalcóatl Sculpture

It is locally loved and ridiculed for literally looking like poop.
Santa Clara, California

Shrine of Our Lady of Peace

One of the largest Marian shrines on the West Coast stands rather unexpectedly in Silicon Valley.
Stirling, Scotland

Grave Robbing Headstone

A grave marker depicting a body snatching tableau on a 19th-century tombstone.
Glasgow, Scotland

The Highlandman's Umbrella

Displaced highlanders would take shelter from the wet Scottish climate under the large walled bridge at Glasgow Central Station.
Edinburgh, Scotland

John Knox's Grave

The Scottish Reformation leader's grave was paved over and is now a parking lot.
Edinburgh, Scotland

'Center of Edinburgh' Bollard

This mundane post marks the old location of the city's main postal hub.