A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.

The palace window through which Protestant nobles flung two Catholic regents, thus sparking the Thirty Years' War.

Despite attempts by local police to discourage it, Beatles-inspired graffiti has been a means for artists to air grievances for decades.

Macabre astrological automaton clock dating to the late 1400s.

This bustling Italian plaza is built on the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater.

A whale rib was used to advertise the store by the arch that offered exotic goods from far away.

Pilgrimage site for star-crossed lovers.

This giant middle finger statue sends an unambiguous message to Italy's bankers.

The last moments of the ill-fated Pompeiians, frozen forever in plaster.

This community on a small Venetian island has taken to painting their houses in bright neon hues.

Stalactites and stalagmites in a beautifully lit cave.

Pompeii's less famous neighbor is still revealing her secrets.

Whisper secrets in a busy station only to be heard on the other side of this acoustic arch.

These delicate buggers are some of the rarest fossils that have bubbled up from the Tar Pits.

Opulence and fantasy collide in this royal chair which is supposedly made with unicorn horns.

The de facto symbol of Copenhagen is this bronze fairytale which cannot seem to keep its head for very long.

The modern birthplace of Irish freedom.

The gorgeous library at Trinity College is home to remarkable treasures of Irish identity.

This ornate Victorian marketplace was the setting for Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron in the Harry Potter films.

A statue in Budapest's Liberty Square honors the former U.S. president's efforts to end the Cold War.

Once the home of a hermetic monk, this cave now houses a small church.

A trail of iron footwear stands as a monument to the thousands executed along this riverbank during WWII.

Gaudí's famously flamboyant architectural style is on full display in this sprawling park and garden.

One of Antoni Gaudí's most classic buildings is well-known for its "dragon-back" design.