These crumbling monastery ruins inspired a master of German Romanticism.

A road runs through the middle of this small Austrian chapel.

The medieval "dragon" on an Austrian city's coat-of-arms comes to life in a fountain.

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

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

This enigmatic artifact remained buried in a churchyard for years.

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

A Latvian rescuer who saved countless lives during World War II.

A preserved oak tree about 3,500 years old found in Riga, Latvia.

A monument to the grand synagogue that stood in this space before Nazis burned it down.

With a design inspired by traditional Latvian textiles, this monument honors the Latvian people who suffered under Soviet occupation.

A statue built to honor the elite soldiers who fought for Latvia during World War I.

The Jelgava Palace holds one of the few burial places of governor’s dynasties that is open to the public.

The Latvian city of Ventspils is filled with dozens of cow statues showcasing unique themes.

Surreal works of unreal stone and metal dot the landscape of this Latvian art park.

This ducal residence was once home to a future Russian empress and a French king in exile.

Just another terrifying garden filled with hundreds of endlessly smiling doll people.

This ornate church has survived Nazi and Soviet occupation, including a short stint as a Soviet-era gymnasium and cinema.

This impressively complicated radioastronomy research center was once a tool of Soviet spies.

Guests become prisoners on a visit to Latvian prison.

The mile-long pier stretches from a ruined fortress out into the Baltic.

The widest waterfall in Europe is a natural wonder and one of the only places where fish are caught in the air.

These abandoned vessels are destined to be reclaimed by the forest.

Latvia’s first skyscraper, nicknamed ‘Stalin’s birthday cake.’