dylanalexander3141's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Edinburgh, Scotland

William Burke Museum

Possibly the world's smallest museum is home to one exhibit that sheds light on the capital city's dark criminal history.
Edinburgh, Scotland

New Calton Cemetery Watchtower

Overlooking the burial ground is a tower designed to prevent thieves from snatching the recently deceased.
Edinburgh, Scotland

The Hanging Stanes

A pair of stones embedded in an Edinburgh street memorialize one of the city's last public hangings.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh's Swedish Runestone

This extraordinary Viking artifact has traveled throughout the city.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Balm Well

The healing properties of this well attracted royals and commoners throughout the Middle Ages.
Edinburgh, Scotland

David Hume's Statue

Touching this 18th-century Scottish philosopher’s toe allegedly conjures good fortune.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Bakehouse Close

This alley off Edinburgh's Royal Mile contains remnants of the city's seedier history.
Edinburgh, Scotland

George Mackenzie's Mausoleum

The tomb of one of Scotland's bloody historic villains is a magnet for bumbling desecrators.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Greyfriars Cemetery Mortsafes

Protecting the dead from opportunistic body snatchers.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh Castle Dog Cemetery

The final resting place of soldiers' loyal canine companions.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Library of Mistakes

A library where thousands of books explain how to avoid another Great Recession.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Tolbooth Tavern

Now home to a drinking establishment, this building has a macabre history.
Edinburgh, Scotland

The Great Hall Ceiling at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery

Sprawled across the Great Hall ceiling are various constellations and images relating to the zodiac.
Edinburgh, Scotland

The Heart of Midlothian

A sweet symbol marks the place where torturous executions were once carried out.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Museum of Edinburgh

This 16th-century house tells the city's history through old artifacts and quirky tales.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Blair Street Underground Vaults

A labyrinthine network of chambers with a storied past hides below Edinburgh's South Bridge.
Edinburgh, Scotland

St. Bernard's Well

A beautiful Greco-Roman structure houses a well once believed to have healing powers.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Lauriston Castle

This allegedly haunted 16th-century tower house-turned-museum exhibits thousands of spectacular objects.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Remains of Dolly the Sheep

The taxidermy remains of the first mammal ever cloned from an adult cell are on display in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Bennets Bar

This historic pub has maintained much of its 1906 decor, including a small sequestered room for women, where orders were slipped through a tiny window.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Old Calton Cemetery

A 18th century graveyard and its astonishing cortege of macabre iconography.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Cramond Ghost Island

Accessible only at low tide, the deserted island is dotted with World War II ruins.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Surgeons' Hall Museums

A book bound in the skin of an infamous criminal, along with countless other specimens.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Rooftop Terrace at the National Museum of Scotland

There are plenty of wonderful panoramic vistas in Edinburgh, but not many are hidden smack in the middle of the Old Town.