bag208's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Wanamaker Building

The first American department store, and home to the largest operating musical instrument in the world.
La Besseyre-Saint-Mary, France

Monument to Jean Chastel, Beast Slayer

Whether hero or rogue, his silver bullet is said to have taken down the murderous "Beast of Gevaudan."
Hunawihr, France

NaturOparc Stork Reintroduction Center

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

Marie-Jeanne Valet vs. the Beast of Gevaudan

Memorializing the bravery of one young woman facing the monster of her age.
Saint-Malo, France

Grand Bé

On this romantic tidal island reachable only at low tide the tomb of a famous French writer overlooks the sea.
Paris, France

Gobelins Tapestry Factory

This facility has manufactured stunning tapestries for France's royalty ever since the 17th century.
Saint-Léger-de-Peyre, France

Les Loups du Gevaudan

A sanctuary for wolves in a community which once trembled in fear of the murderous "Beast of Gévaudan."
Milly-la-Forêt, France

Le Cyclop

Jean Tinguely's bizarre monster sculpture is hidden deep in a forest.
Haute-Isle, France

Troglodyte Church

The Church of the Annunciation was carved into the face of a cliff, just like the rest of the town of Haute-Isle.
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.
Montségur, France

Château de Montségur

This French castle is said to have once held the Holy Grail but is now a gorgeous mountaintop ruin.
Paris, France

World's Oldest Basketball Court

Despite being considered a thoroughly American sport, basketball's oldest surviving playing field is found in the basement of a Paris YMCA.
Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, France

Serpent D'Océan

An aluminum skeleton brings Chinese mythology to the French shore.
Asque, France

Gourgue d'Asque

A French valley with forests so lush it was nicknamed "the Small Amazonia of the Pyrenees."
Paris, France

Cabinet of Joseph Bonnier de La Mosson

Hidden away in a modern library are the remains of one of the 18th century's most celebrated wunderkammers.
Cahors, France

Pont Valentre

A 14th century bridge built as a fortress, where the devil lurks on one of its towers.
Marseille, France

Château d'If

This historic island prison holds one of the dungeons from the Count of Monte Cristo even though it is a work of fiction.
Aigues-Mortes, France

Salin Aigues-Mortes

This salt marsh in Southern France is as pink as the flamingos that inhabit it.
Chamonix, France

Lac Blanc

An icy lake tucked among jaw-dropping alpine panoramas.
Paris, France

Louis XIV's Globes

Two awe-inspiring globes from the reign of the Sun King hang from the ceiling of France's national library.
Hauterives, France

Le Palais Idéal

This whimsical castle of grottoes was the labor of love of a French postman, and one of the greatest achievements of outsider architecture.
Paris, France

Danse de la Fontaine Emergente

This Parisian fountain is a little bit fantasy and a little bit nightclub.
Redwood City, California

Tafoni Sandstone Monolith

This unique formation appears as though an asteroid landed on the forest.
San Jose, California

Nola's Iris Garden

Exquisite irises bloom every spring in this hillside garden.