Ursa Major's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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London, England

Wellington Arch

Once designed as the entrance to Buckingham Palace, this structure was later relocated and stands as a victory arch.
London, England

Endangered Species Doorway

An archway adorned with vulnerable flora and fauna.
Stow-on-the-Wold, England

St Edward's Church

This medieval sanctuary's tree-framed door looks like a portal to a mythical realm.
Oxford, England

Oxford Castle & Prison

This Norman castle was once the site of a Victorian-era prison, and now exists as a luxury hotel.
Oxford, England

Site of the Rewley Road Rail Station

A plaque is all that remains of a lost Oxford transport hub.
Oxford, England

Magdalen College Gargoyles

A cornucopia of gargoyles adorns the oldest portion of Oxford’s Magdalen College.
Oxford, England

Morris Garage

This nondescript building was the birthplace of Morris cars.
Oxford, England

The Sheldonian Theatre

A theatre built to house the rowdy Oxford graduation ceremonies became the stage for a debate about God's existence.
Oxford, England

Alice's Shop

The shop where the girl who inspired the beloved character once bought sweets is now a book-themed commercial curiosity.
Paris, France

Notre-Dame-de-Lorette

Claude Monet was baptized in this lavishly ornate Paris church.
Paris, France

Au Roi de la Bière

Once a 19th-century brasserie, this McDonald's exterior celebrates Alsatian design and the "King of Beer."
Paris, France

Parc Monceau

The ruins of a Duke's bucolic dream, where camels once roamed alongside "Dutch" windmills and faux-Italian vineyards.
Paris, France

Le Droit Humain Masonic Lodge

The historic Masonic Lodge in which the first-ever female Mason was initiated.
Paris, France

Le Louxor Palais du Cinema

Egyptian Revival movie palace abandoned for decades and restored in 2013.
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.
Paris, France

Le Moulin de la Galette

Montmartre's sole surviving windmill became an iconic landmark for 19th-century painters, artists, and bohemians.
Venice, Italy

Monument to Niccolò Tommaseo

The pile of books behind the dignified writer gave the statue a most undignified nickname.
Venice, Italy

Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs

This Roman statue is missing a limb from when the Venetians stole it from Constantinople during the Crusades.
Venice, Italy

Church of San Giacomo di Rialto

According to tradition this is the oldest church in Venice, but its actual age is a mystery.
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Lost Third Column

Two stone columns flank the grand Venice square, but there were supposed to be three.
Venice, Italy

Piraeus Lion

Thousand-year-old Viking runes adorn an ancient Greek lion at the entrance to the Venetian Arsenal.
Venice, Italy

Scuola Grande di San Marco

The marble facade hides a little-known medical museum with early surgical instruments and rare copies of canonical texts.
Venice, Italy

Scala Contarini del Bovolo

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Clock Tower (Torre dell'Orologio)

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.