agnesvermaas's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Salamanca, Spain

Casa de las Conchas

The facade of this 16th-century building is decorated with carvings of 300 seashells.
Los Santos de Maimona, Spain

House of Francisco González

A Spanish artist builds his own castle.
Santiponce, Spain

Amphitheatre of Italica

The Roman city was the birthplace of various emperors and is home to one of the empire's most impressive architectural feats.
Conil de la Frontera, Spain

Torre Vigía de Castilnovo

This centuries-old tower hosts endangered bald ibis mating pairs and looms over a pristine beach.
Santa Luzia, Portugal

Cemetery of Anchors

Dead weights honor the dead of Portugal's fishing industry.
Mafra, Portugal

Mafra Palace Library

At night, bats patrol this magnificent 18th-century space in search of book-eating pests.
Sintra, Portugal

Quinta da Regaleira

This eccentrically decorated palace is replete with grottoes, fountains, tunnels, and caves.
Sintra, Portugal

Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors)

An ancient and majestic fortress that played an integral role in Portugal's road to independence.
Sintra, Portugal

Pena National Palace

This unreal Portuguese palace looks as though it's made from a pile of different castles.
Berrioplano, Spain

Fort of San Cristóbal

This huge abandoned fortress hidden inside a mountain holds a world of subterranean secrets.
Honfleur, France

Église Sainte Catherine

One of the oldest and largest wooden churches in France was very evidently constructed by shipbuilders.
Souzay-Champigny, France

Parcours Troglodytique

Ivy-covered Medieval tunnels cut through this charming town in France's Loire Valley.
Braga, Portugal

Bom Jesus do Monte

A stunning 18th-century site where pilgrims ascend by a series of punishing stairs only to return via funicular.
Halsteren, Netherlands

Mozesbrug (Moses Bridge)

Invisible bridge parts the waters, invoking biblical images and preserving the ominous feel of an ancient moat.
Beveren, Belgium

The Doomed City of Doel

This ghost town in Belgium will lose its street art when it ceases to exist.
Boom, Belgium

Trolls of De Schorre Park

Take a leisurely walk through the park to find the seven giant troll sculptures hidden throughout the park.
Zalipie, Poland

The Painted Village of Zalipie

This uber-quaint Polish village is known for its habit of painting elaborate floral motifs on just about everything.
Magdeburg, Germany

Grüne Zitadelle (Green Citadel)

The architect of this fanciful complex called it an "oasis for humanity and nature in a sea of rational houses."
Horn-Bad Meinberg, Germany

Externsteine

Between Neo-Pagans and Neo-Nazis, these strange rock formations have a curious cult following and a very strange history.
Orschwiller, France

Haut-Kœnigsbourg Castle

The castle was reconstructed to fit Kaiser Wilhelm II's romanticized vision of the Middle Ages.
Steyl, Netherlands

Mission Museum Steyl

This massive collection of taxidermy is full of specimens collected by missionaries during their international travels.
Mildam, Netherlands

Ecokathedraal

Nestled in the woods lies this land art project: a hybrid between park, maze and natural monument.
Winkel, Netherlands

Kremlin of the Netherlands

This miniature take on the Kremlin is one Dutch man's retirement project.
Volendam, Netherlands

Cigar Band House

Mosaics created from 11 million cigar bands.