thistle's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Edinburgh, Scotland

William Wallace and Robert the Bruce Statues

Overlooked by many, the two famous Scottish warriors guard the main gate of Edinburgh Castle.
Edinburgh, Scotland

George Mackenzie's Mausoleum

The tomb of one of Scotland's bloody historic villains is a magnet for bumbling desecrators.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Remains of Dolly the Sheep

The taxidermy remains of the first mammal ever cloned from an adult cell are on display in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Surgeons' Hall Museums

A book bound in the skin of an infamous criminal, along with countless other specimens.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Camera Obscura & World of Illusions

360° views of the city plus five floors of optical illusions and hands-on science.
Rome, Italy

Lacus Curtius

A mysterious chasm in the heart of the ancient Roman Forum, the Lacus Curtius was once believed to be a gateway to hell.
Rome, Italy

Meridian Line of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs

Installed in an act of one-upsmanship, the annual sundial in this church is also a symbolic victory for the Gregorian calendar.
Rome, Italy

The Dome Illusion

A master of trompe-l'oeil creates a stunning, tourist-fooling dome out of a flat ceiling.
San Francisco, California

Spreckels Temple of Music

An elaborate gift from Claus Spreckels is now a piece of San Francisco history.
San Francisco, California

San Francisco Botanical Garden

Golden Gate Park's historic collection of plants.
San Francisco, California

Vaillancourt Fountain

This concrete tangle of square pipes has stood as a proud thorn in the city's side since the '70s.
San Francisco, California

Alcatraz Island

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.
Vatican City

Gallery of Maps - Galleria delle Carte Geografiche

Breathtaking and huge 430 year old maps of Italy.
Vienna, Austria

Vienna Sewer System

Vienna's underworld of tunnels and subterranean rivers made an iconic appearance in a 1949 Orson Welles film.
Dresden, Germany

Deutsches Hygiene-Museum

Over 12,000 hygiene oriented objects and exhibits.
Berlin, Germany

Bahnhof Berlin Zoologischer Garten

Metro station with a claim to rock n' roll fame.
Berlin, Germany

Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum

Home to 10,000 medical specimens including the remains of Rudolf Virchow's extensive collection of pathological specimens.
Berlin, Germany

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Thousands of coffin-like pillars make up this controversial Holocaust memorial.
Berlin, Germany

Berlin-Friedrichstrasse Railway Station

Cold war icon and onetime "hole" in the iron curtain.
Berlin, Germany

AquaDom

The largest free-standing aquarium in the world resides in a hotel lobby in Berlin.
Wernigerode, Germany

The Brocken

On the highest peak in the Harz Mountains, science and the occult faced off in a failed attempt to turn a goat into a boy.
Saalfeld, Germany

Saalfeld Fairy Grottoes

"The most colorful grottoes of the world.
Erfurt, Germany

Krämerbrücke

This historic stone bridge has an entire neighborhood clinging to its sides.