surf's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Paris, France

The Last Original Standard Metre

An overlooked marble is the only surviving in-place 18th century example of the measurement that changed how we define distance.
Allison Added by Allison
Paris, France

Cannonball of the Hotel de Sens

A lone cannonball remains lodged in the walls of the Hotel de Sens as a sober reminder of a revolution.
Paris, France

Julien Aurouze and Co.

A Parisian exterminator's shop whose storefront displays stuffed rats hanging from traps.
Paris, France

Foucault's Pendulum

19th century pendulum and a clock restored by a rogue group of guerilla artists.
Dampo Added by Dampo
Mechernich, Germany

Brother Klaus Field Chapel

This German art chapel is perfect for those who like their worship hard, modern, and utterly alien.
Added by osoba
Borgloon, Belgium

Reading Between The Lines

Part modern art project, part traditional chapel, this see-through church is only substantial from the right angle.
EricGrundhauser Added by EricGrundhauser
Genappe, Belgium

Abbaye de Villers

A magical and peaceful ruined Cistercian abbey in what is now southern Belgium.
Added by KrispyMac
Plombières, Belgium

Gare De Montzen

Abandoned since 1998, this train station has become an oasis for urban explorers.
themultiverse Added by themultiverse
Liège, Belgium

Fort de la Chartreuse

This abandoned Belgian fortress is purposefully being left to nature.
Added by thierrylechanteur
Liège, Belgium

Tour Cybernétique (Cybernetic Tower)

Nicolas Schöffer's massive interactive sculpture was assembled in 1961 and brought back online in 2016.
ahvenas Added by ahvenas
Stoumont, Belgium

Sanatorium du Basil

An early 20th-century sanatorium, long abandoned and now being reclaimed by nature.
siejoenl Added by siejoenl
La Ferté-sur-Chiers, France

Ouvrage La Ferté

This striking fort on the Maginot Line looks just as it did after being destroyed in the Fall of France.
Gavin Added by Gavin
Verzy, France

Faux de Verzy

Hundreds of dwarf beeches create an unusual, haunting forest in the north of France.
Rohbbie Added by Rohbbie
Metz, France

Jean Cocteau's Stained Glass Windows

A neighborhood church's unusual abstract stained glass was the final project of avant-garde artist Jean Cocteau.
Added by georgiefhj
Mettlach, Germany

Höckerlinie Westwall

Now overgrown, these anti-tank barriers from World War II are sometimes called "dragon's teeth."
robinrocket Added by robinrocket
Völklingen, Germany

Volklinger Ironworks

A former ironworks that was the first UNESCO industrial site.
Allison Added by Allison
Munich, Germany

Jeweled Skeleton of Saint Munditia

The patron saint of spinsters grasps a container of dried blood.
Montegabbione (TR), Italy

La Scarzuola

This 16th-century monastery has been turned into a surrealist architecture compound.
serflac Added by serflac
Sorano, Italy

Vie Cave

This network of roads is one of the most unique Etruscan creations ever discovered.
JordiDesvilar Added by JordiDesvilar
Munich, Germany

Pinakothek der Moderne Futuro House

One of the most easily accessible examples of the rare 1960s UFO houses.
mate Added by mate
Santa Fe, New Mexico

109 East Palace

This innocuous New Mexico storefront was once the secret jump-off spot for Manhattan Project scientists.
Added by michaelksugar