Sumater's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Warsaw, Poland

Nicolaus Copernicus Monument

The giant statue and its model solar system honor the native Pole who declared that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
Palmanova, Italy

Palmanova Star Fort

A star-shaped fortress town fort built in the geometric model of the Renaissance utopian city.
Clear Lake, Iowa

The Day The Music Died Memorial

A giant pair of thick black glasses mark the tragic demise of a trio of rock and roll legends.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Paternoster Lift

This unusual elevator doesn’t stop or slow down.
Bucharest, Romania

Palace of the Parliament

This communist behemoth is the heaviest building in the world and a legacy of a brutal regime.
Stilo, Italy

Cattolica di Stilo

A small Byzantine church lost in the middle of the mountains of southern Italy.
Liberec, Czechia

Hotel Ještěd

This unusually shaped mountaintop tower looks like a UFO floating over the city.
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Water Cribs

These chunky stone towers out in Lake Michigan are the key to Chicago’s drinking water.
Essex, England

The 'Gants' of Braintree

You won't find these curiously named passageways anywhere else in England.
Trassenheide, Germany

Upside-Down House of Trassenheide

The first (but not only) upside-down house in Germany.
New York, New York

New York's Oldest Phone Number

Need to book a room at the Hotel Pennsylvania? Just dial up 6-5000.
London, England

Cecil Court

A charming 17th-century alley is lined with secondhand bookstores and antiquarian shops.
Washington, D.C.

Abandoned Drawbridge Control Room

The hidden offices underneath Memorial Bridge have been locked up since 1976.
Washington, D.C.

National Capitol Columns

The United States Capitol's former columns still stand.
Osaka, Japan

Gate Tower Building

The Hanshin Expressway goes right through its 5th, 6th, and 7th floors.
Eindhoven, Netherlands

Silly Walks Tunnel

Crouch down, stretch tall, and be sure to flail your legs to pay homage to the Monty Python classic.
Weirton, West Virginia

Weirton

In an odd geographic anomaly this city borders two different states on opposite sides of town.
New York, New York

The Cross at Ground Zero

Pulled from the rubble of one of the worst modern tragedies, a steel crossbeam became a symbol of hope for New Yorkers.
Kansasville, Wisconsin

Richard Bong State Recreation Area

The Bong-area park police have asked visitors to please, stop stealing the signs.
Hong Kong

Quarry Bay 'Monster Building'

This hulking behemoth is actually five interconnected towers built in the 1960s.
London, England

Twinings Tea Shop

A 300-year-old tea shop that brought tea to the English people, not to mention the Queen herself.
Craftsbury, Vermont

Witch Windows

According to folklore, Vermont's slanted windows were installed to keep witches from flying into the house.
Bristol, England

Vale Street

England's steepest street has such a drastic incline that locals tie their parked cars to lampposts when it gets icy.
Figueres, Spain

Technology Museum of l'Empordà

This overlooked museum houses an amazing collection of rare, antique typewriters.