One of the world's few mounted blue whales, its jaws are hinged open allowing visitors to descend into a lounge.

Crooked windswept pines give this old forest an enchanted and magical look.

An illuminated manuscript comprising the life's work of a lone monk, inexplicably decorated with a portrait of Satan himself.

A socialist building dedicated to teachers showcases one of the largest Soviet mosaics in the world.

For more than 170 years, this family-run bakery has been serving Berlin’s best Baumkuchen, or “tree cake.”

At one of Berlin’s oldest churches, visitors can place mosaic tiles to help restore a medieval mural.

Visitors can explore the role of mysticism throughout the ages inside this interactive museum of magic.

A 12th-century fortress containing some of Berlin's oldest buildings.

Home to 10,000 medical specimens including the remains of Rudolf Virchow's extensive collection of pathological specimens.

Berlin's natural history museum houses the world's largest mounted dinosaur and the late beloved polar bear Knut.

Residents of Berlin take their coffee and cake in one of the city’s most restful spaces: a cemetery.

Three connected pink triangles memorialize persecuted gays and lesbians throughout history.

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

Cat art as far as the eye can see.

Legend says this fabled well held part of a mythical Norse tree.

The second-largest collection of runic calendar staffs in Sweden.

The second oldest anatomical theater is housed in a museum of curiosities.

A traditional U-Bahn station in Berlin gets a string of rather untraditional benches.

A fascinating insight into daily life in the Eastern Bloc.

The Jesus tree of Malta bears a striking resemblance to Christ on the cross.

The mummified heart of a saint lives on in this church—after a brief hiatus when it was stolen.

This magical-looking island is notorious for the misfortunes suffered by its owners.

In a city that boasts four separate inclined cable railways, this is one of the busiest funicular lines in the world.

This hobbit-y little hot spring may be the oldest spring used by humans in all of Iceland.