kattowice's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Vals, France

Église Notre-Dame de Vals (Church of Our Lady of Vals)

A medieval church built into an ancient cave.
Paris, France

Crypt Beneath St. Joseph des Carmes

The recovered bones of martyrs slaughtered during The Terror are on display in this church crypt.
Lainate, Italy

Ninfeo di Villa Litta

An ancient artistic garden parlor full of hidden water wonders.
Torba, Italy

Faceless Nuns of the Torba Monastery

An unsettling painting of three faceless sisters that is surrounded by history and legend.
Cham, Germany

Chammünster Ossuary

In 1830, cemetery workers in Cham unearthed a chamber housing thousands of skeletal remains from the 13th century, which can still be viewed today.
Muraglione, Italy

Pertosa Caves

Ride a boat through this magnificent underground world, which now doubles as a theater.
Dunfermline, Scotland

Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries

Andrew Carnegie funded the building of almost 3,000 libraries across the world, this was the first.
Dunfermline, Scotland

Saint Margaret's Cave

A hidden tunnel leads to a medieval queen's shrine buried beneath a parking lot.
Manchester, England

St. Michael's Flags and Angel Meadow Park

Contrary to its heavenly name, this tranquil oasis has a dark and tragic history buried with it (quite literally).
Komatsushima-shi, Japan

Kincho Raccoon Dog Statue

A statue of a mischievous raccoon towers over this city park.
Tatebayashi-shi, Japan

Morin-ji Temple

This temple is steeped in local folklore involving a teakettle and a raccoon dog.
Kyoto, Japan

Okazaki Shrine

The cutest shrine in Kyoto is dedicated to bunnies.
Iga, Japan

Iga Ryu Ninja Museum

Be a ninja - or just act like one.
Kyoto, Japan

Yasui Kompira-gu Shrine

Crawl through the hole in the middle of this stone to break off a bad relationship or initiate a good one.
Ōmihachiman-shi, Japan

Okishima Island

A Japanese cat island also populated by the descendants of a band of banished samurai.
Ventotene, Italy

Santo Stefano Prison

Built to be the ideal penitentiary, this abandoned panopticon saw several revolts and even a prisoners' coup.
Royston, England

Royston Cave

Man-made cave with enigmatic carvings, some say made by the Knights Templar themselves.
Groningen, Netherlands

Groningen University Museum

Preserving the research tools, unexpected inventions, and odd collections of generations of college professors.
Walmer, England

Walmer Castle and Gardens

This curious Tudor-era castle was once home to Napoleon's greatest adversary, the Duke of Wellington.
Stirling, Scotland

The Star Pyramid

This pyramid is dedicated to all those who suffered martyrdom for civil and religious liberty in Scotland.
Pluckley, England

Dering Wood

A woodland close to England's "most haunted village" has been the site of many unexplained events and deaths.
Yonezawa, Japan

The Fountain of Ideas

Ward off bad luck and fill your bottle with "the most watery water" at this little roadside shrine in Yonezawa.
Trescore Balneario, Italy

Cappella Suardi

Jesus turns into vines inside this chapel.
Barcelona, Spain

Jardines de la Tamarita

This mansion oasis contains gardens, sculptures, and fountains just off the busy Plaça Kennedy in Sant Gervasi.