petesivak's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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San Francisco, California

Paxton Gate

A shop full of natural curiosities, carnivorous plants, and costumed taxidermied mice.
Binz, Germany

Prora

Hitler's bleak vision of relaxation still stands as a mostly abandoned 10,000-room resort complex.
Aarhus, Denmark

Smiling Sun Mural

A symbol for the opposition to nuclear power around the world.
Hvide Sande, Denmark

The Wind Turbine Beach

Along this stretch of beach in Denmark resides several massive bastions of energy.
Sydney, Australia

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

Come for the flowers, stay for the bats!
Denizli, Turkey

Pamukkale Water Terraces

Roman ruins top white travertine terraces formed by ancient hot springs.
Aberdeen, Scotland

Brig o’ Balgownie

Scotland's oldest medieval bridge is also among the last reminders of early medieval Aberdeen.
London, England

The Lost River Fleet

The largest of London's subterranean rivers and once a mad, bad center of London life.
London, England

Replica of the Golden Hinde

This one has sailed five times as far as Sir Francis Drake's famous ship.
Mafra, Portugal

Mafra Palace Library

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

Jeff Koons' Puppy

Giant topiary dog once played a role in a terrorist bomb plot.
Pula, Croatia

Pula Arena

One of the best-preserved Roman amphitheaters is still used today, but for less brutal events.
Venice, Italy

Libreria Acqua Alta

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.
Venice, Italy

Giant Hands of Venice’s Grand Canal

A new sculpture calls attention to climate change in the centuries-old city it threatens.
Venice, Italy

Ponte delle Tette

In the past, Renaissance sex workers were encouraged to entice customers on this bridge.
Venice, Italy

Squero di San Trovaso

Where Venice's gondolas go for a tune-up.
Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia

Calvary of Banska Stiavnica

After 11 years of reconstruction work, Slovakia's finest hilltop chapel complex is finally reopen to the public.
Waitomo, New Zealand

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

Tubing through a cave lit with glowworms is a magical underground experience.
Prague, Czechia

Statue of King Wenceslas Riding an Upside-Down Dead Horse

A mocking tribute to the past and modern leadership of Prague.
Prague, Czechia

Hlava Franze Kafky (Franz Kafka's Head)

A bust of Franz Kafka spins in pieces, reflecting the writer's inner torment.
Prague, Czechia

Man Hanging Out

What looks like a suicide in progress is actually a statue of Sigmund Freud.
Prague, Czechia

'Il Commendatore' ('Cloak of Conscience')

This spooky statue sits outside a famous Prague theater.
Prague, Czechia

Prague Astronomical Clock

Macabre astrological automaton clock dating to the late 1400s.
Prague, Czechia

Prague Meridian

The slender brass strip in Prague's Old Town Square was used to tell time from 1652 to 1918.