The Jelgava Palace holds one of the few burial places of governor’s dynasties that is open to the public.

This 11th-century Greek monastery has renowned mosaics and relics of a brutal past.

A grotesque collection of wax limbs depicting the symptoms of venereal disease.

This mystical orb covered in strange symbols is thought to have been used in ancient Greek magical rituals.

A unique Shinto shrine filled with bunnies and wordplay.

The statue's head is one of the few fragments of the original Urakami Cathedral to survive the atomic bomb.

One of the tallest statues in the world, and the tallest statue of a goddess in Japan.

This giant bronze Buddha, the third largest in Japan, is the last in an ill-fated series of statues.

A train ride to the middle of nowhere gives its passengers some of the most iconic views of Japan's seasons.

Cherry blossom season comes early in this Japanese town where pink flowers line the streets and riverbanks.

The self-mummified monks of Japan.

Transport yourself to the 1980s era of video games at this themed restaurant and bar.

Tokyo’s only Vaudeville-cuckoo clock–steampunk-Victorian curio cabinet time piece.

This insurance company building reminds customers that witches, bears, and gnomes are out there, best be insured.

A replica of the home of a famous fictional troll family.

Quality time with reindeer in the stunning scenery of their natural Lappish habitat above the Arctic Circle.

A lovingly curated curio shop in which the taxidermy wear newspaper party hats, and peanut shells are spread across every surface.

Hidden in the garden of physicist Erwin Schrödinger's house is a life-size figure of a cat from his famous thought experiment.

The excellent Swiss museum of witchcraft is led by a modern witch.

150-year-old satirical tableaus made from stuffed frogs.

This historic covered bridge contains a series of macabre paintings that communicate one thing: everyone dies.

The bizarre visions of H.R. Giger, tucked away in a Swiss medieval city.

At the entrance of this chapel is a fresco commemorating the dead from the plague outbreak of 1630.

This museum is home to 22 panes depicting skeletons dressed in colorful garments.