michaelvanderpoorten's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Lelystad, Netherlands
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Places visited in Haarlem, Netherlands
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Hunawihr, France

NaturOparc Stork Reintroduction Center

Wander among free-roaming storks at the sanctuary that helped save them from local extinction.
Orschwiller, France

Haut-Kœnigsbourg Castle

The castle was reconstructed to fit Kaiser Wilhelm II's romanticized vision of the Middle Ages.
Reims, France

Joan of Arc Statue

An image of the legendary saint stands in the shadow of a cathedral she liberated.
Strasbourg, France

Stained-Glass Demons

Explore this medieval cathedral by trying to spot all the malevolent monsters hiding in its beautifully colored windows.
Bayeux, France

Bayeux Tapestry

This enormous "cloth of the conquest" depicts the Norman invasion of England in mind-blowing detail.
Rouen, France

Tower of Joan of Arc

This medieval tower is all that remains of the castle where Joan of Arc was held before being burned at the stake.
Paris, France

The Bouquinistes of Paris

The tradition of open-air secondhand and antiquarian bookselling in Paris dates back to the Renaissance.
Thann, France

L'œil de la Sorcière (The Witch’s Eye)

The remains of this castle, known as the Witch’s Eye, watch over the Thur Valley.
Goslar, Germany

Brusttuch House

A peculiar trapezoidal building covered with wonderful humorous reliefs.
Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Brewers’ and Bakers’ Guild Windows at Freiburg Münster

This medieval cathedral houses stained-glass windows featuring saints and pretzels.
Augsburg, Germany

Augsburger Puppenkiste

This famed marionette theater and museum is bursting with imaginative string puppets.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Partnachklamm (Partnach Gorge)

Walk inside a half mile long crevice right outside the town of Garmisch Partenkirchen.
Wernigerode, Germany

The Brocken

On the highest peak in the Harz Mountains, science and the occult faced off in a failed attempt to turn a goat into a boy.
Bingen, Germany

Mouse Tower

Legendary site where an evil bishop was devoured by rodents.
Cologne, Germany

St. Petersglocke

The largest bell in the world has been swinging high above a Cologne cathedral for almost a century.
Chiemsee, Germany

Herrenchiemsee Neues Schloss

Originally envisioned by King Ludwig II to rival Versailles, Herrenchiemsee's "New Palace" remains half-gilded for lack of funds.
Idar-Oberstein, Germany

Felsenkirche (Crag Church)

A tiny chapel clings to a precipice above Germany’s gemstone capital.
Trier, Germany

Porta Nigra

The last bastion of Roman presence north of the Alps looms over a German town.
Ulm, Germany

Ulm Minster (Ulmer Münster)

The world's tallest church tower reveals a spectacular view to anyone up to the task of climbing the daunting staircase.
Friedrichshafen, Germany

Zeppelin Museum

Enter the cabin of a life-sized Hindenburg replica.
Bad Schussenried, Germany

Steinhausen

This Rococo church is known as the most beautiful village church in the world, and does not disappoint.
Berchtesgaden, Germany

Berchtesgaden Salt Mine

Dress up like a miner and take a slide into the disco-lit depths of this once foundational salt mine.
Augsburg, Germany

Fuggerei

In this truly magical place, rent hasn't been raised since the year 1520.
Uhldingen-Mühlhofen, Germany

Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen (Lake Dwelling Museum)

This museum tells the story of lake dwellers from 4000 BC to 850 BC, replete with stilt houses and goats.