firebird5's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Bruges, Belgium

Secret Garden of Bruges

You would never come across this tiny green oasis if you didn't know it existed.
Leuven, Belgium

De Kangxi-Verbiest Hemelglobe (Kangxi-Verbiest Star Globe)

A replica of a 17th-century map of the stars stands in the courtyard of a Belgian university.
Leuven, Belgium

'De Koeieschieter' ('Cow Shooter')

A small statue commemorates a centuries-old event that still hangs over the people of Leuven.
Leuven, Belgium

Fons Sapientiae

This whimsical statue dumps water on its head to symbolize knowledge flowing into his brain. Or maybe booze.
Bruges, Belgium

Smedenpoort Skull

The bronzed skull of a beheaded traitor was affixed to the city gate in the 17th century.
Brussels, Belgium

Commemoration of Peter the Great's Vomit

When you're a great Russian Tsar, even your vomit gets a statue.
Brussels, Belgium

Manneken Pis

A little sculpture with a large wardrobe.
Brussels, Belgium

Black Tower

A fantastical 13th-century fortification sandwiched by a modern hotel in central Brussels.
Beveren, Belgium

The Doomed City of Doel

This ghost town in Belgium will lose its street art when it ceases to exist.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Begijnhof Chapel

A hidden church in a hidden courtyard tells the story of the Miracle of Amsterdam.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Cuypers Library

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

Oudemanhuispoort

An ancient passage filled with stalls selling used books, once frequented by Vincent Van Gogh.
Kinderdijk, Netherlands

Windmills of Kinderdijk

Birthplace of the "Cat in the Cradle" and a cluster of iconic, original windmills that let the Dutch tame the seas.
Bruges, Belgium

Basilica of the Holy Blood

Christ's blood preserved in a Belgian town.