Schmales's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Amsterdam, Netherlands

De Waag

Amsterdam's former hotspot for public executions and dissections.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Oudemanhuispoort

An ancient passage filled with stalls selling used books, once frequented by Vincent Van Gogh.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Little Woodcutter

This unattributed sculpture in Amsterdam is hiding in plain sight.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica (Ritman Library)

This impressive collection of rare books on ancient mysticism inspired author Dan Brown.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Cuypers Library

This gorgeous reading room houses the oldest and largest art history library in the Netherlands.
San Jose, California

The Winchester Mystery House

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.
Isle of Staffa, Scotland

Fingal's Cave

This astonishingly geometric cave has inspired everyone from Jules Verne to Pink Floyd.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Biblioteca Ets Haim

The world's oldest Jewish library was founded by Sephardic Jews in 17th century Amsterdam.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Six Collection

A rare tour of an aristocrat's private home reveals valuable 17th-century paintings from artists like Rembrandt.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Tiny Hidden Houses on Westerstraat

Seven mini rowhouses fill the gap between 54 and 70 Westerstraat.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Our Lord in the Attic

The attic of a four-century-old canal house hides a clandestine church.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

KattenKabinet

Cat art as far as the eye can see.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

De Poezenboot (The Cat Boat)

A floating cat sanctuary on an Amsterdam canal.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Torture Museum

Museum preserving torture methods from the past.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Electric Ladyland: The Museum of Fluorescent Art

The world's only museum devoted to the wonders of fluorescence.
New York, New York

Old City Hall Station

A beautiful and abandoned New York subway station from 1904, complete with chandelier.
New Orleans, Louisiana

BMike's Studio Be

An abandoned warehouse turned art sanctuary in New Orleans.
Rome, Italy

Vigna Randanini

One of seven Jewish catacombs in Rome and one of only two open to the public.
Rome, Italy

St. Valentine's Skull

The skull of the patron saint of lovers lies in the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin—maybe.
Rome, Italy

The Aventine Keyhole

Rome's semi-secret peephole vista is also a former Crusader stronghold.
San Francisco, California

Arion Press and M & H Type

Fonts are born and bred here at the oldest letterpress type foundry in the United States.
Paris, France

59 Rivoli

Notorious artist squat renovated into legal studios.
Paris, France

Parc Monceau

The ruins of a Duke's bucolic dream, where camels once roamed alongside "Dutch" windmills and faux-Italian vineyards.
Paris, France

Centre Pompidou

An "inside out" building in the historical center of Paris, featuring Europe’s largest modern art museum.