Once the tallest building in Chisinau, this unique tower is a relic of Soviet architecture.

At less than four inches in height, this iconic fictional character is the smallest public statue in all of Moldova.

A forgotten remnant of the Soviet Union, Transnistria is an unrecognized country hidden behind a heavily militarized border between Moldova and Ukraine.

A trail of iron footwear stands as a monument to the thousands executed along this riverbank during WWII.

Built in 1870 at the bridge that connected Buda and Pest, this spectacular incline railway was almost lost forever during World War II.

This Hungarian castle was built out of cardboard and wood until it proved so popular that it got upgraded to stone.

The gorgeous library at Trinity College is home to remarkable treasures of Irish identity.

An unfinished Serbian Orthodox church with 1,389 golden crosses planned to represent the Battle of Kosovo.

A 14th-century Serbian Orthodox church that was once converted into a mosque under the much-disfavored Ottoman Empire.

This massive monument was unveiled the day Kosovo declared independence from Serbia.

Two distorted Romanesque columns hold aloft a mine cart in honor of laborers who died during WWII.

Christianity and Islam have clashed, yet here a Serbian Orthodox church and a mosque stand together.

A 11-foot former president stands on a Kosovo street that also bears his name.

A futuristic, brutalist masterpiece that is also strangely prison-like.

The European Union’s tallest freestanding structure provides radio and television broadcasting to half of Latvia.

Latvia’s first skyscraper, nicknamed ‘Stalin’s birthday cake.’

A monument to the grand synagogue that stood in this space before Nazis burned it down.

With a design inspired by traditional Latvian textiles, this monument honors the Latvian people who suffered under Soviet occupation.

This ducal residence was once home to a future Russian empress and a French king in exile.

This celebration of Latvia’s freedom and independence avoided demolition over half a century of Soviet occupation.

A stone marker and sculpture in the city of Riga stake a claim for the very first community Christmas tree.

This charming Latvian lane doubled as Baker Street on the Soviet Union’s version of Sherlock Holmes.

The reconstruction of this prominent building fulfilled a long-written command.

The oldest housing complex in Riga is a mini timeline of architectural trends.