Artists have long been drawn to these atmospheric 12th-century ruins.

This Gothic Revival castle used as a shooting location for "The Secret Garden" and other films.

A 600-year-old mini shrine guarded by a sword-wielding knight hides in a crumbling cliff face.

The preserved left hand of a saint once known as "the Pearl of York."

This Georgian Gothic building was created to shelter and feed deer.

An abandoned tower once used to study the cosmos hides within a thicket of greenery.

This massive statue is the personification of Bavaria and the first colossal statue of the modern period composed of bronze.

This beautiful 19th-century temple stands atop the ruins of its predecessor.

Go surfing on this urban wave, "hacked" by local surfers.

Among the ostentatious rococo ornamentation of this church, an image of death cuts the life-thread.

Daily jousts and dancing barrel makers in Munich's mechanical clock.

Oddly enough, a pair of Wolfs funded the construction of this Little Red Riding Hood sculpture.

The patron saint of spinsters grasps a container of dried blood.

One of the most easily accessible examples of the rare 1960s UFO houses.

An Orthodox church inside a small "Garden of Eden" built by a man who had a vision.

On high feast days, the entire blue-glass front of this modern church opens up to reveal the small wooden church inside.

A giant snail sculpture looking longingly at the German traffic museum.

A stairway to heaven, or to nowhere at all.

A hidden treasure in London with a rich medieval history, and the resting place of many luminaries.

A student driver's nightmare.

This former charity hospital for elderly clergy houses some of Seville’s most treasured paintings.

A long-abandoned relic of World War II.

This abandoned hospital village was once viewed as an innovative way to deal with mental illness.

This volcanic plug boasts the longest recorded history of any Scottish stronghold.