Skulls from the plague of 1656 and World War II bombings are united by a cult dedicated to caring for the ancient dead.

The statue of a legendary giant who carried Christ and shouldered the world's sins.

This enigmatic artifact remained buried in a churchyard for years.

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

Medical museum that houses most notably the taxidermied remains of Vladimir Demikhov's famous two-headed dog experiment.

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

A black cat protests the City Guild in Riga's Old Town.

Flamboyant architecture from the turn of 20th century.

3,000 market stands in five former Zeppelin hangars.

Outside a Viking museum sits a modern-day runestone made by a Swedish runemaster using traditional methods.

Stockholm's narrowest alley is barely over two feet wide.

It is said that each of the white stones in the red facade of this medieval house represents the head of a murdered Swedish noble.

An ancient Viking runestone hidden in plain view in Stockholm's old town.

This homeless brass fox tugs at your heartstrings from the foot of a Stockholm bridge.

Sweden's "good old days" painstakingly re-created in a model village.

It houses the remains of a 17th-century version of the Titanic.

Stockholm's decidedly unique public transit system has doubled as the world's longest art gallery for decades.

This verdant, tree-lined Reykjavik graveyard is both enchanting and eerie.

Iceland's tribute to its thankless civil servants.

Cairns built to bring travelers good luck stretch across the land like miniature stone mountains.

Twisted girders are all that remain of an Icelandic bridge that was wiped out by a combination of volcanic heat and glacial floods.

The picturesque birthplace of Icelandic democracy is drenched in the blood of its brutal past.

This stunning concert hall has become a symbol of Iceland's national recovery.

This fairytale-like structure is the last turf church ever constructed in Iceland.