gerwitz's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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The Hague, Netherlands

Celestial Vault

Hidden within a Netherlands crater is a stone bed that lets those who lie in it see the sky as a curved surface.
Beaucaire, France

Mas des Tourelles

A winery built on the site of a Gallo-Roman estate uses historical tools to recreate ancient vintages.
West Rand, South Africa

Sterkfontein Caves

Caves that can't seem to quit producing the remains of prehistoric humans.
Mogale, South Africa

Cradle of Humankind

Home to some of the oldest hominid fossils ever found.
Johannesburg, South Africa

Ponte Tower

The tallest residential building in Africa is an unsettling Brutalist monolith.
Oudtshoorn, South Africa

Cango Caves

Largest cave system in Africa.
Paro, Bhutan

Paro Taktsang

The small cliffside monastery known as the Tiger's Nest is said to be the meditation site of an eighth-century Buddhist master.
Shiraz, Iran

Shah Cheragh

Mirrors and glass shards cover every inch of this arrestingly beautiful mosque.
Shooshtar, Iran

Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System

This beautiful system of tunnels built into natural rock serves as a centuries old plumbing system.
Saariselkä, Finland

Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort

Rent out a glass igloo to watch the Northern Lights like you live in the future.
Ouarzazate, Morocco

Atlas Film Studios

World's largest film studio, where visitors tour the decaying sets that litter the harsh desert environment.
Oradour-sur-Glane, France

Oradour

This French ghost town from World War II has been left as a memorial to German atrocities during World War II.
Wiltshire, England

Longleat Hedge Maze

The longest hedge maze in the world.
Ennetbürgen, Switzerland

Hammetschwand Elevator

The tallest outdoor elevator in Europe rockets passengers on a dizzyingly precarious ride to the top of a mountain.
Istanbul, Turkey

Basilica Cisterns of Istanbul

A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.
Tulcan, Ecuador

Tulcán Municipal Cemetery

This Ecuadorian cemetery is home to a jaw-dropping topiary wonderland.
Nariño, Colombia

Las Lajas Sanctuary

A dangling church built over a Colombian gorge.
Krakow, Poland

The Bones of the Wawel Dragon

Real bones which are said to have belonged to a Polish dragon.
Sant'Agata Dé Goti, Italy

Sant'Agata de' Goti

This medieval Italian town is a sheer (and beautiful) cliffside defense.
London, England

Lime Wharf

Residential building on the Regents Canal is a breeding ground for creativity and innovation.
Howrah, India

Great Banyan Tree

A single tree's 2,800 aerial roots give the appearance of a complete forest.
Richfield, Utah

Pando, the Trembling Giant

One of the world's oldest and most massive living organisms is a grove of quaking aspens.
Vienna, Austria

Clock Museum

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

The Room of Endangered and Extinct Species

A haunting collection of the vanished and disappearing natural world.