ruroni's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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London, England

The Sherlock Holmes Museum

This London pub hides a peculiar secret: a recreation of the rooms shared at 221b Baker Street by Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
London, England

'The World Turned Upside Down'

Soon after its unveiling, this giant inverted globe sparked controversy and was vandalized.
London, England

The London Beer Flood

On October 17, 1814, a 15-ft. wave of beer ran rampant through the streets of London.
London, England

Magic Circle Museum

This collection of illusory paraphernalia has been culled from the history of London's premier magician's club.
Seegräben, Switzerland

Sauriermuseum Aathal

Europe's largest dinosaur museum was founded by a passionate autodidact.
Zurich, Switzerland

Pavillion Le Corbusier

Constructed along the shores of Lake Zurich, this pavilion is a walk-through work of art.
Zurich, Switzerland

Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zürich

See the rare bloom of the "Queen of the Night" cactus at one of the world's largest succulent collections.
San Francisco, California

Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption

The neighborhood church casts a breast-shaped shadow that locals have come to call the “two o’clock titty.”
San Francisco, California

Church of 8 Wheels

This 19th-century church is now a popular roller rink.
San Francisco, California

Walzwerk Restaurant

This eatery transports diners to a place that no longer exists: East Germany.
Sofia, Bulgaria

National Palace of Culture

A vast Communist-era exhibition space in the Bulgarian capital.
Krusheva, North Macedonia

Toše Proeski Memorial House

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

Burj Al Babas

The only residents of this abandoned housing development full of identical castles are stray cats and dogs.
Stomoplo, Bulgaria

Perla 2

Not far from a popular beach, an unfinished, abandoned mansion for Bulgaria's last communist dictator.
Gabrovo, Bulgaria

Shipka Pass

A mountain pass in Bulgaria's Balkan Mountains was the site of four historic battles.
Skopje, North Macedonia

Skopje Hydrometeorological Service Building

A solar-powered primary school inspires hope and experimentation in a country ripe for energy innovation.
Krusevo, North Macedonia

The Kruševo Makedonium

Space-age monument to an early 20th-century uprising.
Sofia, Bulgaria

The Snail House

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

Monument to the Soviet Army

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

Raketa Rakia

Eastern Bloc nostalgia, anybody?
Sofia, Bulgaria

Museum of Socialist Art

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

Bulgarian State Monument

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

Alyosha Monument

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

Abandoned Textile Factory

The social hall of this former factory is a Communist-era time capsule.