Switzerland

Palais de Rumine

A stunning example of late 19th century Florentine Renaissance style architecture in Switzerland, now home to various museums.

This lavish building, situated in the equally beautiful city of Lausanne, owes its construction and namesake to Gabriel de Rumine, the son of Russian nobility. Upon his death bed Gabriel... »

Museums and Collections, Natural History, Unique Collections, Architectural Oddities, Repositories of Knowledge | Edited by TrevorShawnElia

Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland

Blur Building

In memory of The Blur Building, the temporary exhibition pavilion of vaporous nothingness.

The Blur Building was a temporary media pavilion built for the 2002 Swiss Expo in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland. Rising out of Lake Neuchatel, a system of rectilinear struts and diagonal rods... »

Architectural Oddities, Outsider Architecture | Edited by Rachel

Zurich, Switzerland

Moulagenmuseum

Museum dedicated to wax representations of disfiguring diseases

Dedicated specifically to moulages, this is the second-largest collection of moulages after Le Musée des Moulages in Saint Louis, France. Started relatively late, in 1916, the Moulagenmuseum... »

Museums and Collections, Medical Museums | Edited by Dylan, Henry and 2 others

Sissach, Switzerland

The Henkermuseum

Extensive private collection of authentic Medieval devices used for human torture and execution

The Henkermuseum, or Hangman's Museum, is one of the most unusual private owned museums in all of Switzerland. Curator Guido Varesi has researched instruments of torture and execution for a... »

Crime and Punishment, Memento Mori | Edited by Nicholas Jackson, A Facebook user and others

Vallorbe, Switzerland

Grottes de Vallorbe

Over 3km of caverns and caves at the Switzerland-France border contain the largest underground river in Central Europe

After 150 million years of thrashing and roaring through limestone rock, the Orbe River is content to wind leisurely through three kilometers of caverns and caves, now known as the Grottes de... »

Watery Wonders, Curious Caves | Edited by treeswithknees, Dylan and others

Zurich, Switzerland

The Schwamendingen X

Dangerous site where the tracks of Zurich tramcars intersect

Just a few meters west of the Schwamendinger Place tramway station, there is an x-shaped rail piece on which the tramcars change from right-hand travel on the overground lines to left-hand travel... »

Electrical Oddities | Edited by Alpha and Nicholas Jackson

Bern, Switzerland

The Child Eater of Bern

A nearly 500 year old sculpture depicts a man eating a sack of babies, and no one is sure why

Standing in the middle of Bern, Switzerland, is the Kindlifresser, or “Child Eater.” The fountain sculpture towers above the ground a baby half stuffed into his mouth, and a sack full of three... »

Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues, Memento Mori | Edited by Dylan and wythe

Ecublens, Switzerland

EPFL Learning Center

University library shaped like a giant piece of Swiss cheese

From up in the air, Rolex Learning Center looks like a giant slice of Emmentaler cheese, placed on the banks of Lake Geneva. Its design is no doubt a play on the clichés associated with building's... »

Architectural Oddities | Edited by stanestane, Dylan and others

Canton de Fribourg, Switzerland

H.R. Giger Museum

The bizarre visions of H.R. Giger, tucked away in a Swiss medieval city

In the quaint medieval city of Gruyére, Switzerland, you may meander the cobblestone streets and tour the delightful old Gruyére cheese factory. But a far more fascinating site here contrasts with... »

Museums and Collections | Edited by danomar, michelle and 3 others

Jungfraujoch, Switzerland

Sphinx Observatory

Historic observatory precariously perched at the "Top of Europe"

Scientists have long traveled to Earth's ends to conduct their studies. Mountaintops are a classic example of a harsh environment that serves as an ideal setting for experiments ranging from the... »

Instruments of Science | Edited by Trevor and Dylan