This public elevator links the lower city to the upper city of Salvador.

A life-sized imperial army, buried in battle formation, has stood underground for over 2,000 years—built not for war, but for eternity.

The west's first Japanese museum and the origin of East Asian studies.

One of the last designs from architect Oscar Niemeyer.

A stunning Catholic cathedral built by a curve-loving communist in Brazil’s newly created capital.

These slanted cubic abodes are a creative if odd solution to a zoning pickle.

A modern reimagining of a medieval city gate.

Once housed in the towers of this Gothic church, this 17th century clock still ticks today.

Graffiti covers the walls of a room where university students through the centuries have waited nervously to defend their theses.

This 17th-century house has a long and colorful history.

This institution has been serving up some of the best pancakes in the Netherlands for over a century.

A memorial commemorating the man whose name became synonymous with taking a picture in the Netherlands.

Exquisite wall sculptures carved in secret by an early quarryman in an obscure corner of the Paris Catacombs.

An unassuming music museum recounts the rags to riches story of a dramatic Portuguese genre.

The devil-defying mark left by a saint as a boy is visible inside Lisbon's cathedral.

Portugal's National Pantheon has a history of curses, collapses and financial problems.

The medieval castle built as headquarters for the Pope's secretive Knights Templar.

In Portugal, a larger-than-life painting of America's first Black female firefighter.

Little-known artist couple chose a former silk factory as the location for a museum dedicated to their work and other avant-garde art.

The tallest tower in Cáceres's Old Town.

These "mermaids" that surround a plaza in Segovia are rather sphinx-like.

One of the few remaining ancient aqueducts described by Frontinus as 'the most solemn testimony of the Empire.'

A controversial art piece that harkens back to local folklore.

Traditional 11th-century outdoor tannery.