St. Mary's features one of the most spectacularly decorated cathedral interiors in all of Europe.

One of the best-preserved medieval streets in Europe.

These enormous, stern-faced statues greet visitors with lanterns, and sometimes costumes.

This irregularly shaped sea fortress has defended not one but three different sovereign states.

This endearingly discomfited urinating statue commemorates the sneaky pees had by us all.

An alien church provides much needed silence in the midst of a Finland shopping center.

An enormous pair of straw sandals woven in the traditional way—to keep demons at bay.

A shrine contains nearly 200 statues of the Buddhist deity Jizo, dressed in bibs by parents who have lost a child.

A plaque marks the site directly below the mid-air detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima.

This Japanese national treasure was originally built in 593.

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

Closed for decades, this strange symbol of Japan's Expo '70 has finally opened its psychedelic insides to the public.

Troublesome students were detained in this tiny graffiti-covered university jail.

An eerie reminder to the horrors of World War II.

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.

This enormous monument is one of the most iconic structures in Tokyo, rudely nicknamed "The Golden Turd."

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.

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

Latvia's symbolic mountain-shaped national library is home to millions of cultural tomes.

This square in downtown Eugene is dedicated to the novelist and countercultural figure Ken Kesey.

The largest wooden building in the world now houses a fascinating collection of aircraft.