Intricate wood carvings on an island in Siberia.

A uniquely authentic display of traditional Russian culture.

A mysterious phallic rock on the grounds of a Buddhist monastery.

A jagged silhouette of shamanistic stone heaps rises from the shore of this dazzling mile-high lake.

The oldest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia has survived centuries of invasions, political shifts, and religious purges.

A huge communist-era propaganda monument and mural that offers stunning views of the Mongolian capital.

Enormous statue of the Emperor of the Mongols.

Crammed inside this grounded passenger plane is a bar that was once a Communist hang out and is now a ratty relic.

Before serving as James Bond's Casino Royale, this Victorian-era spa catered to the world's elite.

Every part of this unusual home is built into the sandstone rock.

Bullet holes in the church wall are a reminder of the violence that followed the assassination of a high-ranking Nazi officer.

Tiny communists hammer away on the Olomouc Astronomical Clock.

An ornate plague column – built to celebrate life – claimed the lives of numerous artisans during its construction.

The slender brass strip in Prague's Old Town Square was used to tell time from 1652 to 1918.

An enormous and lavish Gothic church in Czechia.

Be(w)ar(e) the moat around this historic Czech castle.

A massive 1830s industrial site once known as Czechia's "Iron Heart" has been transformed into a playground of science, technology, and art.

The palace window through which Protestant nobles flung two Catholic regents, thus sparking the Thirty Years' War.

A controversial artwork draws attention to the dark history of Prague's "Suicide Bridge."

A surreal statue honoring Prague's favorite literary son.

This unusually shaped mountaintop tower looks like a UFO floating over the city.

An existential riddle in the world's largest ancient castle.

The deepest sinkhole in Central Europe comes with a grisly tale and an unusual nickname: “The Stepmother Abyss.”

This former quarry is now a picturesque gorge that hides a sunken lake.