Over time, this castle grew to encompass the entire island.

Travelers who fall victim to this mermaid's charms are destined to stay in Užupis forever.

This micro-nation may be some sort of prank, but its constitution sure seems official.

Legend has it that Napoleon Bonaparte fell in love with this Gothic church.

An iconic Soviet statue of working-class people.

Thousands of biblical and pagan images are carved into this small 12th-century church.

300-year-old villagers houses and traditional churches preserve a nearly lost piece of Russian history.

This newly renovated Soviet-era outdoor exhibition center is bigger than the principality of Monaco.

A monument to Malchik, a stray dog who lived in a Moscow metro station until his tragic death.

Gargantuan home of Russian science.

This massive monument honors the first human in space.

One of the world's tallest statues is also one of its most hated.

Some Moscow residents once claimed the bizarre, contorted mass of metal on top of the building was used to manipulate minds.

Dozens of padlock-trees along the Moscow River.

World's largest bell sits on the grounds of the Kremlin in Moscow.

The tallest hotel in Europe.

Moscow's imposing monument to the Space Age.

Moscow's most popular cemetery includes the graves of numerous cosmonauts.

Former headquarters of the KGB.

A sculpture park of the tossed aside relics of the USSR, from Stalin to a massive Soviet emblem.

An 18th century wonder of the world, lost in WWII, re-created at the Catherine Palace.

Museum celebrating the achievements of the Soviet space program.

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

This building holds the embalmed remains of the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution.