Silver in the hills led to the speedy creation of this boom town and a lack of it saw the town abandoned nearly as quickly.

This Paris art space celebrates the creativity and ingenuity that springs from abject poverty, especially in Africa.

This sawtooth mountain range still bears the strangely lovely marks of its history as a medieval quarry.

This abandoned subway station beneath the Waldorf-Astoria hotel is allegedly used to secretly transport presidents.

The remains of this early 20th century refinery loom on a mountainside like a graffiti-covered fortress.

A colossal floating restaurant built to look like a ancient Chinese imperial palace.

This modern monument to pagan belief looks like it was transported straight from ancient times.

The second largest in the world, this massive underground void has its own subway.

Nailing a coin to this holy stump is just another way to ask the gods for relief from dental pain.

Brooklyn's most iconic restaurant, resurrected.

If you want to talk to the Pope you will have to stare down this surreal vision of Jesus rising from a nuclear hell.

The gilded vestiges of a sterling department store can still be found in a Brooklyn shopping center.

This massive library holds what was once the largest book collection in the world.

Weird wax anatomical models reside here, as do other anatomical specimens.

This stunning Brazilian library contains the largest collection of Portuguese texts outside of Portugal itself.