Optical Illusions - Atlas Obscura
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Optical Illusions

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Rome, Italy

Borromini's Perspective Gallery of Palazzo Spada

This gallery commissioned by Cardinal Spada is known for its magnificent optical illusion.
Kumbakonam, India

Airavatesvara Temple’s Optical Illusion

This temple contains what might be the world's oldest optical illusion.
Video

On Scotland's Electric Brae, Cars Really Do Seem to Roll Uphill

4:54
Normanton, England

Normanton Church

The sanctuary seems to either float atop the water or sink into the dirt, depending on the water level.
Romangordo, Spain

Trampantojo Art of Romangordo

This small Spanish village is home to dozens of public paintings meant to trick the eye.
optical illusions

The Most Interesting, Spectacular Mirages Aren’t in the Desert

Spoiler alert: Try the Arctic or Sicily instead.
Sabrina Imbler April 22, 2019
Karpacz, Poland

Karpacz's Gravitational Anomaly

On this Polish road, an optical illusion makes cars seem to roll uphill.
La Palma, Spain

Stone Man of Pico de la Fuente Nueva

A rocky face gazes out over an enormous volcanic crater.
Hanoi, Vietnam

Trompe-l'œil Murals of Hanoi

Life-sized painted illusions let pedestrians blend in with the street art.
Frangokastello, Greece

Frangokastello Castle

Every spring, locals see the shadowy figures of a ghost army of slain Greek soldiers descend upon this ruined fort.
Miyazu-shi, Japan

Amanohashidate

Turn around and stick your head between your legs for the best view of this tree-covered sandbar.
Vilnius, Lithuania

Vilnil Museum of Illusions

Things aren't quite what they seem at this mind-bending museum.
Yangzhou Shi, China

Yangzhou Zhongshuge

Mirrored floors and arched shelves create the illusion of an infinite tunnel of books.
Comuna Budești, Romania

Cavnic Gravity Hill

A spooky spot along the road where things mysteriously seem to move uphill by themselves.
statues

7 Places That Throw the Best Shade

In the most literal sense.
Kerry Wolfe August 1, 2017
Shullsburg, Wisconsin

Gravity Hill in Wisconsin

A remote hill on a stretch of country road where the laws of physics are defied... or so it seems.
León, Mexico

Colina Gravitacional (Gravity Hill)

Things roll uphill on this Mexican street that seems to defy gravity.
Moncton, New Brunswick

Moncton Magnetic Hill

A mysterious spot where the laws of gravity seem not to apply.