Recent Activity

• May 16, 2012 Annetta updated the Stonehenge World Heritage Site
  

  Stonehenge World Heritage Site

  Famously Misunderstood Wonder of the Ancient World.

  Much can, and has been said about this amazing monument. Instead of regurgitating what has been posted everywhere, here are a few small goodies that will make your visit a bit richer: The... »

  Cultures and Civilizations , Lost Tribes, Architectural Oddities, Curious Places of Worship, Incredible Ruins | Edited by dougygyro and Annetta

• May 16, 2012 katiebaker4 added The Elephant Kraal of Ayutthaya
  

  The Elephant Kraal of Ayutthaya

  The elephant kraal of Ayutthaya, is an unusual structure that was used during the 16th centruy Ayutthaya kingdom to entrap wild elephants for the Thai army. In fact, an elephant entrapment... »

  | Edited by katiebaker4

• May 16, 2012 katiebaker4 added Treille Promenade
  

  Treille Promenade

  What is arguably the longest wooden bench in the world, snakes around Geneva's Treille Promonade,

  Behind Geneva’s city hall is La Treille Park, a lovely and sunny square, whose perimeter is lined by (arguably) the longest wooden bench in the world. Built in 1767, the bench is 120 meters (413... »

  | Edited by katiebaker4

• May 16, 2012 dougygyro added Stonehenge World Heritage Site
  

  Stonehenge World Heritage Site

  Famously Misunderstood Wonder of the Ancient World.

  Much can, and has been said about this amazing monument. Instead of regurgitating what has been posted everywhere, here are a few small goodies that will make your visit a bit richer: The... »

  Cultures and Civilizations , Lost Tribes, Architectural Oddities, Curious Places of Worship, Incredible Ruins | Edited by dougygyro and Annetta

• May 16, 2012 katiebaker4 added The Elephant Kraal of Ayutthaya
  The Elephant Kraal of Ayutthaya

  The elephant kraal of Ayutthaya, Thailand is an unusual structure used during the Ayutthaya kingdom of the 16th century to entrap wild elephants for the Thai army. In fact, an elephant entrapment... »

  | Edited by katiebaker4

• May 16, 2012 Dylan updated the Kalaupapa Leper Colony
  

  Kalaupapa Leper Colony

  Once home to over 8000 exiled Hawaiians suffering from Hansen's Disease

  Cut off from the rest of the world by 1600-foot cliffs on one side and ocean on the other, Kalaupapa, Molokai, is a naturally beautiful prison. When Hansen's Disease, historically known as... »

  Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by Annetta, wythe and others

• May 16, 2012 leiris has been to Touro Synagogue
  

  Touro Synagogue

  Oldest synagogue in the United States

  Typically when we think of early America, we think of Puritans fleeing religious persecution in England. Of course, the Puritans weren’t the only persecuted group in Europe. Back in the late 15th... »

  Architectural Oddities, Curious Places of Worship | Edited by M Rebekah Otto, Nicholas Jackson and others

• May 16, 2012 leiris has been to Unitarian Church Cemetery
  

  Unitarian Church Cemetery

  Paths are maintained, but trees have taken over plots

  In a city with many churches and many cemeteries - Charleston, South Carolina - the cemetery at the Unitarian Church stands out as unique and interesting. Pathways are maintained here for... »

  Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by Cornchops and Nicholas Jackson

• May 16, 2012 leiris has been to The Paul Revere House
  

  The Paul Revere House

  Oldest house in downtown Boston was once the home of Paul Revere

  Paul Revere was made famous by the eponymous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: “Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere…” You probably already know that Paul... »

  Architectural Oddities, Eccentric Homes | Edited by M Rebekah Otto, Nicholas Jackson and others

• May 16, 2012 leiris has been to Boston's Old Burying Grounds
  

  Boston's Old Burying Grounds

  Macabre headstones carved with winged skulls, dancing skeletons, and pithy reminders of impending death

  "Stay! thou this tomb that passeth by, And think how soon that thou may'st die..." The morbid imagery on the headstones in Boston's oldest cemeteries—such as skulls and crossed bones, winged... »

  Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by Annetta and wythe

• May 16, 2012 katiebaker4 added Havana's Steam Engine Museum
  

  Havana's Steam Engine Museum

  Cuba's historical trains remind natives of their country's sugary sweet past.

  Cuba’s railway system has been a source of historical significance for the country, and the locomotive museum seated beside the Central Railroad Station is a testament to its legacy. In the 19th... »

  | Edited by katiebaker4

• May 16, 2012 Rachel updated the Salem Village Witchcraft Victims Memorial
  

  Salem Village Witchcraft Victims Memorial

  Memorial of the Salem witchcraft hysteria in the town of Danvers, where it all began

  Often lost in all the broomstick bluster that goes on in Salem, MA, is the fact that the witch hysteria actually started in the neighboring town of Danvers, where most of the participants lived.... »

  Unusual Monuments, Memento Mori | Edited by JWOcker and Rachel

• May 16, 2012 Rachel updated the National Museum of Kyrgyzstan
  

  Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

  National Museum of Kyrgyzstan

  Time capsule of a museum, in which the Soviet Union remains alive and kicking

  Kyrgyzstan’s National Museum harbors numerous interesting exhibitions, ranging from excavation finds to fascinating ethnographical collections, partly housed in dusty cabinets. But for the few... »

  Museums and Collections, Wonder Cabinets, Outsider Art, Unique Collections | Edited by Tawsam and Rachel

• May 16, 2012 Rachel updated the Merzbacher Lake
  

  Merzbacher Lake

  Glacial lake that mysteriously empties itself every year

  A strenuous multi-day trek is necessary to reach Merzbacher Lake, a lake so far away from anything, that even the label "remote" would be an understatement. The lake is located at the confluence... »

  Natural Wonders, Watery Wonders, Geological Oddities | Edited by Tawsam and Rachel

• May 16, 2012 Johan has been to Kaspar Hauser Monument
  

  Ansbach, Germany

  Kaspar Hauser Monument

  The "feral child" who appeared in Bavaria in the 19th century remains as much a mystery as his unsolved murder

  The mysterious Kaspar Hauser turned up on the streets of Nuremberg in 1828, unintelligible, wearing odd clothes, and walking with a peculiar gait. His feet were soft as if never walked upon and he... »

  Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by allison

• May 16, 2012 Johan has been to Statue of St. Wilgefortis
  

  Praha, Czech Republic

  Statue of St. Wilgefortis

  A crucified and bearded female saint

  There are a number of treasuries and chapels within the famous pilgrimmage site of Loreto Church in Prague, but there is one chapel in particular, The Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, that houses a... »

  Strange Statues | Edited by michelle

• May 16, 2012 Josh updated the The Great Serpent Mound
  

  The Great Serpent Mound

  The largest earthwork effigy in the world

  The "mound builders" of early North America lived throughout what are now the Ohio Valley and the Mississippi regions. The earliest group was probably the Adena people, who flourished from 1000... »

  Rites and Rituals, Long Now Locations, Curious Places of Worship, Incredible Ruins | Edited by Dylan, M Rebekah Otto and 2 others

• May 16, 2012 ivergjendem liked Pionen Data Center
  

  Stockholm, Sweden

  Pionen Data Center

  The internet as provided by a James Bond villain

  Bahnhof is one of Sweden's largest internet service providers. When CEO Jon Karlung secured a former nuclear bunker below 100 feet of Stockholm bedrock as the site for a data center, he thought it... »

  Architectural Oddities, Outsider Architecture, Subterranean Sites | Edited by tralfamadore, wythe and others

• May 16, 2012 Johan has been to Fort Boyard
  

  La Rochelle-Normande, France

  Fort Boyard

  Fighting the British and making game shows for over 150 years

  When Louis XIV first proposed the idea of a fort in the middle of water off the, his advisors thought he had gone completely crazy. He was told the idea was impossible and was wisely dissuaded.... »

  | Edited by serflac and atimian

• May 16, 2012 paula_crash liked St. Sebastian’s Cemetery
  

  Salzburg, Austria

  St. Sebastian’s Cemetery

  Terrifically morbid cemetary and site of famous Paracelsus' grave

  Death is everywhere at St. Sebastian’s Cemetery in Salzburg, Austria. An unsettling depiction of an emaciated death holding an hourglass evokes the sense of memento mori: Remember that you too... »

  Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by wythe and re_nakaba

• May 16, 2012 paula_crash liked Fairytale Grotto Line
  

  Graz, Austria

  Fairytale Grotto Line

  Fantastic stories on a miniature Railroad

  In Graz, Austria, 6.3 kilometers of tunnel run through the "Schlossberg", a hill in the middle of the city. The tunnels were built during World War I to serve as an air raid shelter accommodating... »

  Follies and Grottoes | Edited by Queenmob

• May 16, 2012 paula_crash liked Museum Boerhaave
  

  Leiden, Netherlands

  Museum Boerhaave

  Plague Hospital and Madhouse turned Medical Museum

  Baby arms in jars, skeleton dioramas, and displays of medical devices draw the morbidly fascinated to Museum Boerhaave in Leiden, Netherlands. Walking through the exhibits halls filled with... »

  Wonder Cabinets, Strange Science, Pharmacy Museums, Medical Museums, Unique Collections, Instruments of Science | Edited by RottenHead, Tre and 2 others

• May 16, 2012 paula_crash liked Kriminalmuseum
  

  Vienna, Austria

  Kriminalmuseum

  Macabre museum devoted to historical Viennese murders

  Skulls, medieval torture devices, bloody gloves, depictions of murder, death masks, and rusty axes - the Kriminalmuseum in Vienna, Austria is not for the faint of heart. The Kriminalmuseum or... »

  Crime and Punishment | Edited by michelle and Kiri_the_Unicorn

• May 16, 2012 paula_crash liked Dom Museum's Kunst und Wunderkammer
  

  Salzburg, Austria

  Dom Museum's Kunst und Wunderkammer

  The amazing wonder cabinets of a very rich Austrian archbishop

  The Dom Museum’s Kunst und Wunderkammer is the lovingly recreated and restored collection once belonging to the Archbishop Wolf Dietrich. Wolf Dietrich was an extremely rich and powerful man... »

  Wonder Cabinets | Edited by Annetta

• May 16, 2012 paula_crash liked Josephinum Medical Museum
  

  Vienna, Austria

  Josephinum Medical Museum

  One of the best collections of wax anatomical models in the world

  Once an academy for aspiring imperial army surgeons, the Josephinum is now a medical museum housing the second largest collection of wax anatomical models in the world, and the largest collection... »

  Medical Museums | Edited by michelle and Henry