A surreal museum of extraordinary industrial objects.

Started as a kitchen garden, now the second largest botanical garden in the world.

A slice of central Asia in the middle of Berlin.

The temple that withstood the Nazis.

This apartment is a true time capsule of local life in Bulgaria during the Soviet regime.

The Grand Mall in Varna hosts one of the biggest collections of Soviet-era paraphernalia in Bulgaria.

"Holy Wisdom" overlooks the city that became its namesake.

A vast Communist-era exhibition space in the Bulgarian capital.

A flamboyant five-story building in Bulgaria resembles a crawling snail.

Eastern Bloc nostalgia, anybody?

This ancient theater, restored in the 20th century, lives on as a venue for dramatic and musical performances.

The second-largest Jewish temple in Bulgaria was deserted after World War II, seized by the communist government and then abandoned again.

A collection of art from Bulgaria's time as a communist state.

The cross-shaped memorial is filled with kitschy tributes to the late pop star.

See how paper is made the old-fashioned way.

This virtually windowless mass of smooth concrete is the only Catholic church in the city.

One of the world's oldest olive trees, thought to be over 2,000 years old.

A curious little museum dedicated to the furry feline in the cat haven that is Old Town Kotor.

These historic defenses ensured the city within would survive hundreds of years of occupations, sieges, and invasions.

Dedicated to a brave pooch who fought a tiger to save a young child.

A towering spire in the fortress of Kalemegdan honors the victorious armies of Serbia during their struggles against the Ottoman Empire.

A museum dedicated to the former country.

In the hinterlands of Serbia's capital, a giant reflective mushroom houses an aeronautical history of the former Yugoslav republic.

Tucked in an urban forest, this restaurant specializes in homemade, healing rakijas.