Europe

Florence, Italy

Sea Lion Caves

The only known mainland rookery and hauling area (wintering home) of the Stellar Sea Lion, and, to a lesser extent, the California Sea Lion

Sea Lion Caves is one of the great sea grotto of the world, comparable in size and coloration to the famed Blue Grotto in the Mediterranean. They contain a wide variety of marine life. Sea Lion... »

Watery Wonders | Edited by canuck

Dublin, Ireland

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

Since 1030 AD, Christ Church has been an integral and intriguing part of Irish history

Founded in 1030 AD by the Hiberno-Norse king Sitriuc Silkenbeard and Dúnán, first Bishop of Dublin, the originally viking church has been a part of Dublin and Irish history ever since. The wooden... »

Curious Places of Worship | Edited by bradenh83

Kielder, United Kingdom

Kielder Observatory

England's "pier at the end of the universe" unites astronomy and contemporary architecture

Sleek timber surfaces and clean right angles are hardly the qualities that come to mind when thinking of astronomical observatories, which are usually typified by industrial materials and domes.... »

Instruments of Science, Architectural Oddities | Edited by Trevor and Nicholas Jackson

Oxford, United Kingdom

Duke Humphrey's Library at the Old Bodleian Library

One of Europe's oldest libraries

Humphrey Plantagenet had the misfortune of being born too late. He was the youngest son of a King, and thus no king at all. However, thanks to his birth order, rather than fight alongside his... »

Repositories of Knowledge | Edited by M Rebekah Otto, Nicholas Jackson and others

Tartu, Estonia

Old Observatory in Tartu

First point in the Struve Geodetic Arc, a 19th century undertaking to measure the Earth's size and shape

The old observatory of Tartu University on Tõravere hill was founded in 1802 when the university reopened after a hiatus in the 18th century. This venerable building holds historical... »

Instruments of Science, Marvelous Maps and Measures, Incredible Ruins | Edited by stanestane and Nicholas Jackson

Mys Nizhneye Izgolov'ye, Russia

Baikal Seals

Some of the world's only freshwater seals live in one very special lake in Russia

Harbour seals, grey seals, elephant seals - these all share a common habitat, the ocean. The Baikal Seals are one of the only seals to live exclusively in freshwater. (The only other species of... »

Natural Wonders, Fascinating Fauna | Edited by M Rebekah Otto, Dylan and others

Sindelfingen, Germany

Shorty

The shortest overhead powerline in the world!

Shorty is a 94 metres long 20 kV overhead powerline, which sonsists of just 2 pylons: a wooden termination tower and a tower transformer situated on the area of a water supply facility. It is said... »

Electrical Oddities | Edited by

Espoo, Finland

Lake Bodom

Finnish lake, and scene of an infamous murder mystery

They say that it was the Grim Reaper, death itself that came for the victims on that faithful night of June 4, 1960. Four teenagers, Maila Irmeli Björklund and Anja Tuulikki Mäki, both fifteen... »

Disaster Areas | Edited by stanestane and Dylan

London, United Kingdom

Whispering Gallery at St. Paul’s Cathedral

Hear the quietest sound from across the dome

In the walkway that circles the inside of Christopher Wren’s great dome whispered words can be heard clearly directly across 137 feet. The trick of acoustics is an artifact of the perfection of... »

Instruments of Science, Curious Places of Worship | Edited by Annetta

Dublin, Ireland

Natural History building, National Museum of Ireland

Dublin's "Dead Zoo" serves as a window to Victorian museum design

Since 1857, visitors to the Natural History building of Dublin’s National Museum of Ireland can see not only animals and minerals of Ireland but, as some say, a museum of a museum. Containing... »

Natural History | Edited by bradenh83 and Dylan