JohnVanDyke's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Hirta Island Ghost Town

The last inhabitants of one of the U.K.'s most remote islands were evacuated in 1930.
San Simeon, California

Hearst Castle

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.
Dubrovnik, Croatia

Daksa Island

This Croatian island is for sale but no one is buying due to the dozens of accused Nazi sympathizers who were massacred there after WWII.
Sudbury, Ontario

Big Nickel

Possibly the world's largest coin stands just outside of a Canadian science center.
London, England

The Burlington Arcade Beadles

This luxury shopping lane has been protected by its own tiny police force for over a century.
London, England

221b Baker Street

The popularity of Sherlock Holmes led to the creation of his fictional address, turning the orderly London street numbers askew.
Budapest, Hungary

The Citadella

From Austrians to Nazis to Soviets, this historic Budapest fortress has a history as complex as the city itself.
Brussels, Belgium

Zinneke Pis

Meet the bronze beloved pet to a family of famous peeing statues.
Lisse, Netherlands

Keukenhof Gardens

Unsurprisingly, Holland is home to one of the most magnificent flower gardens in the world.
Pensacola Beach, Florida

Fort Pickens

One of the only Florida forts to remain in the hands of the Union all through the Civil War still stands as a historic stronghold.
Canterbury, England

Crooked House

This skewed English house has looked like it's going to fall over for centuries.
London, England

The Real Greenwich Prime Meridian

Thanks to modern navigational tools we now know that the true prime meridian runs through a park next door.
St. Gallen, Switzerland

Abbey Library of Saint Gall

This is not only one of the oldest collections in Europe, but also possibly the most beautiful.
Stockholm, Sweden

The Cuckold of Skeppsbron

A man has revenged his true love's betrayal through tears and stone genitalia.
Stockholm, Sweden

Love Locks of Västerbron

A former suicide bridge is now accumulating symbols of love instead of a body count.
Forsby, Sweden

Forsby-Köping Limestone Cableway

The remnants of a record-setting industrial bucket system can still be found dotting the Swedish countryside.
Shiprock, New Mexico

Shiprock

Legends surround this jagged rock formation in the New Mexico desert.
Alexandria, Virginia

P.O. Box 1142 Memorial

This simple stone memorial remembers a secret, Geneva Convention-defying interrogation base from WWII.
Cheverny, France

Château de Cheverny

The opulent home that inspired Tintin's Marlinspike Hall and the adventures within.
Copenhagen, Denmark

Elephant Gate

Pre-Nazi swastikas adorn the sculpted pachyderms flanking this brewhouse portal.
Cricqueville-en-Bessin, France

Pointe du Hoc

A daring D-Day assault by U.S. Army Rangers is commemorated atop the high cliffs of this strategic point.
Queens, New York

La Guardia's Art Deco Marine Air Terminal

A remnant from the golden age of aviation still in use today, Pan Am's Clipper service took off from this Art Deco gem.
Glen Arbor Township, Michigan

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

This national park on the shore of Lake Michigan features remarkable dunes that lie at the heart of a Chippewa legend.
Haarlem, Netherlands

Bloemen Route

The Bloemen Route, or “Flower Route”, stretches 25 miles through prime Dutch tulip country as a result of “tulip mania,” the world’s first economic bubble.