Nihaj's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Venice, Italy

Scala Contarini del Bovolo

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.
Venice, Italy

Libreria Acqua Alta

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.
Vatican City

Gallery of Maps - Galleria delle Carte Geografiche

Breathtaking and huge 430 year old maps of Italy.
Rome, Italy

Mussolini's Balcony

The spot where the fascist dictator made some of his most famous speeches including declaring war on Britain and France.
Rome, Italy

The Protestant Cemetery

The final resting place of the poets Shelley and Keats.
Rome, Italy

Pyramid of Cestius

The only "Egyptian" pyramid in Europe and the legendary tomb of Remus.
Rome, Italy

The Aventine Keyhole

Rome's semi-secret peephole vista is also a former Crusader stronghold.
Istanbul, Turkey

Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain

A fountain standing as a testament to a doomed alliance.
Istanbul, Turkey

Serpent Column

Ancient serpentine sacrifice holder that has stood the test of time.
Istanbul, Turkey

The Museum of Innocence

This museum was invented in a novel before being made real by the author.
Istanbul, Turkey

Obelisk of Theodosius

This remarkably well-preserved Egyptian plinth is pretty well traveled for a giant piece of stone.
Istanbul, Turkey

Basilica Cisterns of Istanbul

A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.
Istanbul, Turkey

Tombs of the Sultans

Five sultans and their families rest in eternal splendor, teeming with overlooked beauty and drama.
Gdańsk, Poland

Ruins at Westerplatte

The site of the first battle of World War II.
Cologne, Germany

St. Petersglocke

The largest bell in the world has been swinging high above a Cologne cathedral for almost a century.
Cologne, Germany

Cologne's Love Locks Bridge

Thousands of tourists and residents in Cologne affix "love padlocks" on the Hohenzollernbrücke Bridge to symbolize their affections.
Munich, Germany

Asamkirche

Among the ostentatious rococo ornamentation of this church, an image of death cuts the life-thread.
Berlin, Germany

Führerbunker Parking Lot

The bunker where Hitler took his own life is hidden under this deliberately ordinary parking lot.
Berlin, Germany

The Bebelplatz

The site of the famous Nazi book burning campaign of 1933 remembers its "Night of Shame".
Berlin, Germany

Haus Schwarzenberg Street Art Alley

A narrow passage next to a cafe leads to a courtyard exploding with murals, tags, and paste-ups.
Berlin, Germany

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Thousands of coffin-like pillars make up this controversial Holocaust memorial.
Lohmen, Germany

The Bastei

Ruins of a German Castle on top of a towering stone pillar.
Berlin, Germany

Pergamon Museum

The most visited, and possibly most controversial, museum in Germany.
Schwangau, Germany

Neuschwanstein Castle

The fairy tale castle of the "fairy-tale king."