In the 13th century, when Marco Polo visited the then-Persian city of Baku, he mentioned numerous mysterious flames that could be found all over the region at various places of the Abşeron... »

Natural Wonders, Fiery Wonders, Intriguing Environs | Edited by Tawsam

Positioned deep in Siberia, the village of Oymyakon holds the distinction of being the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth. Just a few hundred miles from the Arctic Circle and reaching... »

Martian Landscapes, Intriguing Environs, Cultures and Civilizations | Edited by Rachel

A small Anglo-Saxon village nestled in the hills of Derbyshire, Eyam has become known as the 'plague village' due to a decision made by the whole village during an outbreak of the Black Death in... »

Strange Science, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries, Intriguing Environs, Disaster Areas | Edited by lisa_tc, Mark_Casey and others

Currently located on the border of the towns of Hollis and Milford in new Hampshire, the ghost town of Monson was the state’s first inland colony, having been settled sometime in the 1730s. It was... »

Intriguing Environs, Ghost Towns | Edited by JWOcker

The Chest Hospital of Terrassa was operated by the Ministry of Health in the 50's, chosen as the perfect place for TB, lung cancer, and fibrosis patients to convalesce in the La Pineda forest.... »

Intriguing Environs, Commercial Curiosities, Incredible Ruins | Edited by serflac, Rachel and others

The story of the Lemp Mansion runs hand-in-hand with the story of German immigration and beer brewing in St. Louis. Johann "Adam" Lemp, a German immigrant, moved to St. Louis in 1838 and set up a... »

Intriguing Environs, Eccentric Homes | Edited by salongmore and Rachel

Although Martin Scorsese’s hit Prohibition-era series, Boardwalk Empire, is set in Atlantic City, much of the show is shot in Brooklyn. The actual boardwalk lives in a huge lot in Greenpoint,... »

Intriguing Environs, Architectural Oddities | Edited by HJHausman and Rachel

For the last 30 years, a small black mailbox printed with the words "Kindred Spirit" has graced the shores of Bird Island. Although no one knows the identity of the real Kindred Spirit, visitors... »

Intriguing Environs | Edited by atimian

Imagine an American-centric, worst nightmare portrayal of the peak of the Cold War. It probably looks a little like hazard-suited Soviets, tinkering with terrifying diseases we long thought were... »

Intriguing Environs, Disaster Areas | Edited by atimian, Dylan and others

Hearing the story of Fresh Kills Landfill can be disheartening, but it ends on a positive note. Opened in 1947, the garbage dump on Staten Island grew so large over the second half of the 21st... »

Intriguing Environs, Disaster Areas | Edited by atimian and Dylan