The knock-off oil painting capital of the world.

Wander through a subtropical island rich with 19th-century colonial architecture, grand pianos, and the reassurance that you won't encounter automobiles.

The once highest point in China blends symbolic design with a kick of adrenaline.

Fascinating early attempt at a Jewish autonomous settlement.

This massive glowering Lenin head gazes out over eastern Siberia.

A "station to nowhere" marks the site of a Siberian subway project that never saw the light of day.

Church built on the site where the last tsar of Russia and his family were killed.

Replica of mosque destroyed by Russia in the 16th century.

The gorgeous entrances into the city's underbelly look more like grand halls than subway stops.

The tallest hotel in Europe.

This massive monument honors the first human in space.

Gargantuan home of Russian science.

The avant-garde design was able to bypass strict Soviet regulations on architecture.

Moscow's imposing monument to the Space Age.

An iconic Soviet statue of working-class people.

This effigy of Peter the Great is greatly disproportionate.

Tower with a double-helix spiral, adorned with letters of the Georgian alphabet.

The first skyscraper to include a Ferris wheel built into the facade.

A gleaming white and undulating tower marks the border between Georgia and Turkey.

Despite being tiny and rural this Georgian airport looks like a sci-fi boondoggle.

Fortified homes of highland warriors that are still in use today.

A cluster of historic bathhouses built on the famed hot springs that gave the Georgian capital its name.

With over 10,000 lights, this engineering marvel lights up the city after dark.

Luxury hotel turned into a refugee camp, then turned back into a luxury hotel.