One of Oxford's greatest treasures likely belonged to England's legendary King Alfred the Great.

These mysterious Viking chess pieces spent centuries hidden on a remote Scottish island.

A sublime medieval path adorns the marble floor of one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in France.

A little-known museum of Ancient Roman and Ancient Greek artifacts.

One of its engravings is believed to be among the first representations of medical and surgical instruments.

Tucked away in the Tower of London is the weapon once used to execute high-profile prisoners.

A measuring mishap led to these artificial stone ladies losing their stomachs.

An extraordinary collection of scientific instruments - and Einstein's chalkboard - inside the world's oldest purpose built museum building.

The compass on its front was a handy tool for 17th-century merchants who needed to know the direction of the wind.

The world’s first museum dedicated to the history of childhood opened in Edinburgh in 1955.

This crumbling medieval basilica once attracted pilgrims by the thousands to collect a miraculous dust that formed above the saint's tomb.

The fantastic charm of England's oldest botanical garden has made it a place of writerly inspiration for centuries.

In the days before house numbers, these colorful signs held clues about various buildings' purposes.

From Tintin to the Smurfs, Europe's greatest graphic icons are celebrated in a grand Art Noveau gallery.

Brussels' favorite peeing boy has a sister.

A little sculpture with a large wardrobe.

These slanted cubic abodes are a creative if odd solution to a zoning pickle.

A statue of the second-tallest Dutchman in history.

Melbourne's favorite bronze dog.

A section of the long chain that blocked enemy ships from entering Constantinople.

This gorgeous reading room houses the oldest and largest art history library in the Netherlands.

Three connected pink triangles memorialize persecuted gays and lesbians throughout history.

The largest collection of handbags in the world, the oldest of which were used to carry Bibles, primarily by men.

An Amsterdam street lined with antique shops each one dedicated to a different obscure collection.