sommermathis's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Orvieto, Italy

Orvieto Underground

This picturesque Umbrian city has a subterranean side that has long remained hidden.
Szymbark, Poland

Upside-Down House

Communism's topsy-turvy effect on Poland has been brought to life in this wacky tourist trap.
Kawasaki, Japan

Ajinomoto MSG Factory

One of the largest producers of MSG in the world welcomes visitors to its Kawasaki factory with an albino panda named Aji-Kun.
Olympia, Washington

Bordeaux, Washington

The remains of a former logging boom town, crumbled away in the forest.
Yamanakako, Japan

Lake Yamanaka

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.
Melbourne, Australia

Cow Up a Tree

This piece of Australian modern art is part joke and part history.
Seattle, Washington

Mystery Soda Machine

An old vending machine serves up unpredictable beverages from its seemingly magical insides.
Dakar, Senegal

African Renaissance Monument

This giant statue is the product of a mixture of corruption, Stalinist architecture, and North Korean manpower.
Rome, Italy

Rome's Gladiator School

This historic recreationist school churns out warriors that may very well have had a fighting chance in Rome's pits of the day.
Harrison, Nebraska

Hudson-Meng Bison Kill

A rancher expanding a natural spring for his cattle came up with bones – lots and lots of them.
Dubuque, Iowa

Fenelon Place Elevator

For just a few bucks, this Iowa funicular will let you feel like an 1800s fat cat.
Chicago, Illinois

Livonian Wolves at the Leaping Wall

In one Chicago park, a trio of werewolves are waiting to devour their fallen brethren.
Syracuse, New York

Upside-Down Traffic Signal

A reversed traffic signal that was once violently misinterpreted as a statement on British-Irish relations.
Baltimore, Maryland

George Peabody Library

It's not hard to see why the historic Peabody Conservatory of Music's library has been described as a "cathedral of books."
Panjin Shi, China

Red Beach

A part of the world's largest marsh seems to be growing bright red Martian grass.
Iceland

U.S. Navy DC-3 Wreckage

This wrecked airplane has been sitting on a black sand beach since the 1970s.
Gablenz, Germany

Rakotzbrücke Devil's Bridge

This jaw-dropping 19th-century bridge uses its reflection to form what appears to be a perfect circle.
Seaview, England

No Man's Land

This foolish Victorian sea fort was converted to a deluxe hotel.
Bomarzo, Italy

The Monsters of Bomarzo

A 16th-century horror show built in a lovely Italian garden.
Chicago, Illinois

Leather Archives & Museum

Chicago's museum dedicated to the history of bondage and fetishism is more textbook than titillation.
Pacifica, California

McCloskey Castle

Abortion, prohibition, religion, war, and fear all play a part in the history of this idiosyncratic Pacifica castle.
Akhali Atoni, Georgia

New Athos Cave

The second largest in the world, this massive underground void has its own subway.
Hólmavík, Iceland

The Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft

Staves, storm-calling, and of course, necropants.
Foyers, Scotland

Boleskine House

A Scottish manor with a history of mysterious fires, magic, and eccentric tales