ecmenendez's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Leuven, Belgium

'Totem'

A giant bug impaled on a 75-foot-tall needle.
Leuven, Belgium

'Renée'

This statue of a studious young woman stands at the site of Leuven's first college to accept female students.
Leuven, Belgium

Fons Sapientiae

This whimsical statue dumps water on its head to symbolize knowledge flowing into his brain. Or maybe booze.
Leuven, Belgium

Paep Thoon

Banished from town, this local jester concocted a clever return.
Brussels, Belgium

Laeken Cemetery Crypt

This recently restored crypt was once plagued by liquefying coffins and exploding caskets.
Brussels, Belgium

Musée de la Médecine

Medical history with an amazing, if frighting, collection of wax diseases on display.
Brussels, Belgium

Madame Chapeau Sculpture

A bronze statue of the fictional character nicknamed "Mrs. Hat" from a beloved Belgian comedy.
Brussels, Belgium

Cinéma Nova

This non-profit theatre in the heart of Brussels is dedicated to hosting independent films.
Niagara Falls, Ontario

Niagara Tesla Monument

Niagara Falls holds a special place in Nikola Tesla's history, so they put a statue on it.
Isla de Tierra Bomba, Colombia

Batería del Ángel San Rafael

An 18th-century battery complete with original kitchen and garrison.
Cartagena, Colombia

San Pedro Claver Museum and Cloisters

An inspired museum dedicated to the patron saint of enslaved people, inside the cloisters where he lived and died.
Cartagena, Colombia

Door Knockers of Cartagena

The colonial city's social history is reflected in its fanciful door knockers.
Cartagena, Colombia

The Palace of the Inquisition

This elegant Colombian fortress was one of the torture headquarters for the Spanish Inquisition.
Cartagena, Colombia

Ábaco Libros y Café

A cozy bookstore and coffee shop in the heart of Cartagena's Old City.
Mexico City, Mexico

La Isla de las Muñecas (Island of the Dolls)

An island filled with hundreds of hanging, decomposing, decapitated dolls.
Banff, Alberta

Banff Springs Hotel

Few other hotels can rival the grandeur of the Castle in the Rockies.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Reunification Palace

Meant to be a lavish presidential home, the palace became a symbol of the fall of South Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon

Witnesses claim the Virgin Mary statue outside the church once mysteriously shed a single tear.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Saigon Central Post Office

This French colonial post office is arguably the grandest in all of Southeast Asia.
Hanoi, Vietnam

Hỏa Lò Prison

The notorious "Hanoi Hilton" where Vietnamese colonial subjects and later American POWs, including John McCain, were imprisoned.
Hanoi, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Ho Chi Minh's perfectly preserved body has been on display here since 1975.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Cu Chi Tunnels

A nightmare for the claustrophobic lies hidden in Southeast Asia.
Siem Reap, Cambodia

The Reclining Buddha of Baphuon Temple

Though it was originally dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, Baphuon was converted to a Buddhist temple in the 15th century, complete with a massive hidden statue.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Cambodia–Vietnam Friendship Monument

Bombed and burned, this monument represents the often controversial ties between Vietnam and Cambodia.