This celebration of Latvia’s freedom and independence avoided demolition over half a century of Soviet occupation.

A black cat protests the City Guild in Riga's Old Town.

The oldest housing complex in Riga is a mini timeline of architectural trends.

This enigmatic artifact remained buried in a churchyard for years.

A stone marker and sculpture in the city of Riga stake a claim for the very first community Christmas tree.

A statue built to honor the elite soldiers who fought for Latvia during World War I.

The door to the museum holds a unique artifact from the Finnish Civil War.

This endearingly discomfited urinating statue commemorates the sneaky pees had by us all.

Ever-growing collection of devils in art.

This magnificent Art Deco church is a reflection of Lithuania’s turbulent history.

Legend has it that Napoleon Bonaparte fell in love with this Gothic church.

Plaques celebrating Lithuanian writers freckle a wall of this picture-perfect path.

Travelers who fall victim to this mermaid's charms are destined to stay in Užupis forever.

This micro-nation may be some sort of prank, but its constitution sure seems official.

A 300-kilogram egg sculpture that embodied a neighborhood revival.

This atmospheric spot in Pärnu's historic old town is located in a 17th-century almshouse.

Monasteries on rock pillars, once accessible only by frayed ropes.

Public water fountains built during the Ottoman Era still stand throughout this seaside town.

This mystical orb covered in strange symbols is thought to have been used in ancient Greek magical rituals.

The ruins of an ancient Roman tomb hidden in the basement of a trendy clothing store.

Scars of this building's past life as a violent prison still cover its walls.

An ancient Greek monument and a Byzantine church coexist inside this cave.

A former military hospital is now used to study and preserve artifacts of the Acropolis.

Heralded as the world's first theater, these ruins are often overlooked as they reside in the shadows of the Acropolis.