Mesi's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Moscow, Russia

The 'Golden Brains'

Some Moscow residents once claimed the bizarre, contorted mass of metal on top of the building was used to manipulate minds.
Turukhansky District, Russia

The 'Dead Road' Transpolar Railway

Stalin's prisoner-built rail line sits in ruin, never having a single car ride its tracks.
Solovetskiy, Russia

Bolshoi Zayatsky Island

No one knows why ancient labyrinths were built on this tiny northern island.
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Nabokov's Butterflies

Specimens collected by the author of "Lolita" and self-taught lepidopterist are exhibited in his childhood home.
Saint Petersburg, Russia

F. M. Dostoyevsky Literary Memorial Museum

An ever-growing literary collection housed in the apartment where the Russian author penned his final novel.
Kazan, Russia

Soviet Lifestyle Museum

This nostalgic Russian museum is full of USSR cultural artifacts from the 1970s and 80s.
Perm, Russia

Gulag Museum

Former prison camp dedicated to the victims of political repression.
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Freud's Dream Museum

Dark, eerie exhibits make for a surreal exploration of the subconscious.
Yagodninsky District, Russia

Kadykchan

Siberian ghost town built by gulag prisoners.
Dmitrovsky District, Russia

Young Pioneer Camp

A Marxist summer camp full of fantastical statues lies tucked away and forgotten in the forests of Moscow.
Khangalassky District, Russia

Lena Stone Pillars

A remote forest of stone pillars along the Lena river.
Sudogda, Russia

Muromtzevo Castle

Abandoned castle was once a grand example of Russian privilege, built exclusively to win a frivolous bet between noblemen.
Rybachiy, Russia

Dancing Forest

The reason for the strange contortions in the trunks of these "drunken" pine trees in Russia is still a mystery.
Shchyolkovo, Russia

Star City

Secret Soviet city once home to Russian cosmonauts and space training facilities.
Moscow, Russia

Golosov Ravine

Legends of time travel and magical woodland creatures bolster the natural charm of this verdant sanctuary in the midst of Moscow.
Kazan, Russia

Temple of All Religions

This Russian religious complex is a Frankenstein's chapel that includes influence from almost all the major faiths.
Moscow, Russia

Museum of Soviet Arcade Games

Immortal combat in a Moscow museum.
Moscow, Russia

Moscow Metro Stations

The gorgeous entrances into the city's underbelly look more like grand halls than subway stops.
Yekaterinburg, Russia

Psychedelic Salt Mines

It's hard to believe the dizzying patterns covering this abandoned mine are completely natural.
Dargavs, Russia

Dargavs Village

This ancient village and its adjoining cemetery have a beautiful history of death and remembrance.
Khlong Wan, Thailand

Phone Booth Graveyard

This small patch of land is the final resting for these communication relics of the past.
Tambon Phra Prathom Chedi, Thailand

The Abandoned Bangkok Mansions

Abandoned mini-mansions that were once intended for affluent Bangkok families now sit empty.
Tambon Pa Fa, Thailand

Wat Pa Thewapithak

The skeletons, demons, and corpses serve as a warning of the terrors of Buddhist Hell.
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Thailand

Wat Tha Ka Rong

A colorful kitschy temple and floating market off the beaten path.