An idyllic mineral hot springs facility with a more-than checkered past.

The sinister ruins of one of the worst dam failures of the 20th century lie in this astonishing alpine setting.

An ancient yew tree and holy well nestle beside a remarkable 13th-century church.

The spot where Oxford garnered its name was also home to a medieval philosopher and includes a house covered in statues.

The shop where the girl who inspired the beloved character once bought sweets is now a book-themed commercial curiosity.

The weathered grave of a medieval anchoress who walled herself up in a cell attached to a church.

Once one of the largest rooms full of books in the world, this bookstore basement is still a treat for bibliophiles.

An extraordinary collection of scientific instruments - and Einstein's chalkboard - inside the world's oldest purpose built museum building.

Home to the most complete dodo remains known - one head, and one foot.

Ancient Egyptian wigs, South American feather headdresses, a bounty of anthropological artifacts in Oxford.

An absolutely beautiful 200-foot stained glass installation traces the evolution of knowledge.

Where royalty waits in the height of luxury.

This vast collection of smoking pipes from across the world spans centuries.

A Dutch passageway's artistic, aquatic-themed makeover pays tribute to the capital city's famed waterways.

Museum preserving torture methods from the past.

A doorless and windowless folly in England that evokes curiosity over its mysterious origins.

The world's largest mineral hot springs is home to a herd of bison, a free public bath house, beautiful mineral formations, and a terrifying swinging bridge.

In an alcove of this historic library, you can find murals painted in the 1930s by an artist who went on to create some of Disney's most iconic animated films.

This 19th-century prison once held Irish revolutionary Constance Markievicz, writer Frank O’Connor, and a nine-year-old pickpocket.

An underground spring in a labyrinthine cave system, decorated with stalagmites and stalactites.

Once believed to be a sacred Roman legionary symbol, this bronze figure inspired the 1954 novel 'The Eagle of the Ninth.'

These mosaics were created more than half a millennium ago and feature various animals.

This Gothic revival structure has been a family home, a military base, a gymnastics center, and is now owned by one of the largest auction houses in Italy.

This charming stone church on the shore of Lake Tekapo is an icon in astrophotography.