A small etching on the white marble parapet was written in runic script by a Viking mercenary.

Far from the shore, this sandy victim of the Skeleton Coast looks like it was plopped in the middle of the desert.

The remains of the wrecked steam trawler can be found on the beach at low tide.

Abandoned ships along a deserted beach feel like the set of a post-apocalyptic thriller.

Sacked by Vikings, blessed by William the Conqueror, dealt a fatal blow during the French Revolution—these ruins have seen it all.

This vertical pinnacle in China was the inspiration for the floating mountains in the movie “Avatar.”

The birthplace of an eccentric alchemist and possible inspiration for the fictional reanimator of monsters.

The bust of Romania’s most notorious ruler, Vlad Dracula aka "Vlad the Impaler," keeps watch over the ruins of his medieval court.

This fairy-tale castle would make Dracula (who is said to have been imprisoned there) jealous.

The legendary cliffside castle of three-time Voivode of Wallachia, Vlad the Impaler.

A minotaur, a labyrinth, and a dubious restoration pull in visitors from around the world.

There's a mini version of Iguazu Falls hidden in the Balkans, and it's got a rope swing.

A gigantic statue of a Russian soldier watches over the ancient city of Plovdiv, a prominent reminder of the Soviet period in Bulgaria.

A mysterious tunnel hidden in the shadows of a colorful, historic sanctuary.

Ruins of an early Roman Christian church dating back to the 4th to 5th centuries.

A Bulgarian monument to Russia's role in World War II is constantly being painted in pop culture protest.

These natural cliffs look like they are a part of an old castle complex.

Crossing a suspension bridge above a forest is the only way to reach this 12th-century monastery.

This massive concrete sculpture is said to be the heaviest communist monument on Earth.

These natural stone bridges are the largest on the European continent.

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

Bizarrely shaped rock formations in northwest Bulgaria come with equally bizarre legends.

An architectural marvel that spans the Arda River, and has stories of a haunted past.

An abandoned saucer-shaped monument in the Bulgarian mountains.