Thanks to its heroic service during WWII this Soviet castle has been turned into a monument towered over by a brutalist titan.

This sign marks the entrance to a tiny proto-state within the small country of Moldova.

A unique collection of Soviet military artifacts lies hidden away in a disused train, in the unrecognized Eastern European republic of Transnistria.

This abandoned Soviet circus is slowly being restored to its Communist-era glory.

A forgotten remnant of the Soviet Union, Transnistria is an unrecognized country hidden behind a heavily militarized border between Moldova and Ukraine.

Once a black market electronics marketplace, now an otaku shopper's paradise.

After a profound show of devotion for his master, a dog becomes the symbol of loyalty for an entire nation.

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.

This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.

This 18th-century sundial was designed to calculate the date of Easter each year.

The tomb of history's greatest potato promoter is surrounded by tubers.

An unusual number plate signifies the building's saucy past.

Pitié-Salpêtrière was the dumping grounds for women who received the dreaded diagnosis of "hysterical."

Natural history museum celebrating biodiversity with a parade of taxidermy animals.

This statue was given to France by the United States to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution.

A Parisian cemetery where the elite and artistic are interred beneath an eccentric collection of tombs.

This museum houses an imposing skeleton army comprised of creatures great and small.

This charming cobbled backstreet is the most Instagramable street in Paris, much to the residents' annoyance.

This demon atop the Notre-Dame de Paris looks utterly bored.

The celebrated eyesore created by starry-eyed sweethearts.

This facility has manufactured stunning tapestries for France's royalty ever since the 17th century.

During the summer months, giant teddy bears take over Paris near Les Gobelins metro station.