Places Edited by Eric Grundhauser

One sculptor's lifelong war game is the largest and longest running miniature campaign in history.

Built hundreds of years ago this downtown iron barrier once protected a much despised king.

A collection of artworks exclusively created by the mentally ill that was almost burned by Nazi culture police.

This rare vessel mixed luxury with labor before being converted to a museum and sometimes haunted maze.

The deadliest diving spot in the world is also a stunning geological marvel.

Lucerne's central prison was converted into a tourist hotel with a bare minimum of changes.

This massive melon is a recreation of a similar gate from the Pan-American Expo.

A sacred mountaintop temple offers a fine cup of tea to visitors who can survive the journey.

This posh mansion began as a family's estate and ended as the site of a murder ripped from the pages of a pulp novel.

The alleged house of the Virgin Mary is tucked away in a park and nature preserve on Mt. Koressos in Turkey and is holy to both Catholics and Muslims alike.

A sacred well steeped in Pagan roots on the West Coast of Ireland.

A posh members-only club with a literally dramatic history.

Two geological phenomena in one precarious locale: a towering stone window, and a deep blue void.

During an annual Catholic feast in this tiny Spanish village, men dressed as devils leap over rows of babies to cleanse them of sin.

Huge stone depressions which may have acted as an Incan agricultural experiment.

The house that Southern rock built now stands as a monument to one of the genre's favorite families.

More sculpture than building, this architecturally significant temple was built on the spot of Saint Peter's crucifixion.

A clear blue swimming hole with hidden caves, still unexplored.

This former steel and coal plant is now a neon-lit industrial fantasia.

Delicate Wurlitzers, creepy clowns, and The Noid all share space in this insane explosion of kitsch history.

The world's largest natural arch was forgotten for over 50 years after its discovery.

Each spring, a dreamlike carpet of bluebells overtakes the forest floor.

Public outcry led to this bridge's unique character which celebrates a giant frog battle and also sewing.

A colossal strolling Pinocchio that was greeted with more outrage than whimsy.