Author: Ms. R.

The Wovenplein Prison was built in 1856. Based on the Pennsylvania System imported from the United States, Wolvenplein (“wolf square”) was designed to isolate prisoners for contemplative penance. Permanently shuttered in 2014, the oldest cellular prison in the Netherlands, has been mostly converted to work, restaurant, and event spaces collectively known as De Vrije Wolf, which translates to “the free wolf.” Visitors can visit the former prison to see the former prisoners’ living conditions. learn about the evolving correctional……

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Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. We’re sharing an episode from our friends at The Sporkful. Following an Atlas Obscura Guide, Dan Pashman of the Sporkful visits the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, the underground tunnels of Los Angeles, former speakeasy King Eddy Saloon, and Patys Restaurant for coconut cake….

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Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. Dylan Thuras: So you know, if you’ve been listening over the week, you will know that Lulu Miller of Radiolab and Terrestrials and I, Dylan Thuras of Atlas Obscura, we’re doing Bad Rap Week. We are talking about places and animals and people that have bad reputations and trying to find out the truth behind them. And today we’re going to the mall. And I grew up……

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The now privately owned Petwood Hotel served as the base for the Dambusters, who developed the Bouncing Bomb during World War II. The bomb was unleashed on three German dams, destroying factories, power plants, railways, roads, and mines, and killing more than 1,500 people.  During the historic Dambusters Raid, the Bouncing Bomb skimmed across water before sinking to destroying two German dams in two attacks. This attack helped the Allies turn the war against the Germans. The quiet town of……

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RAF Harrington, the remains of which still stand on a piece of farm land, first opened in September 1943 and was originally intended for the No. 84 Operational Training Unit. RAF Harrington is considered to be the most intact of the 20 former Thor missile sites and is therefore an important piece of Cold War architecture. United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force and engineer battalions from the US Army converted the area for heavy bomber use in……

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Opened in 1927, this bathhouse named Bain généreux was at the heart of a working class neighborhood. Back then, most residences in Montreal did not have access to a bath or a shower. In an effort to increase workers’ hygiene and to control illnesses, many public baths were opened throughout the city. Bain généreux distinguishes itself from other bathhouses, as it is the only one with Art Deco architecture. Designed by renowned architect Jean-Omer Marchand, the Bain généreux was……

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In this beautiful French village, every fourth or fifth house one walks past has been turned into a book shop. Book lovers, friendly locals, and campers enjoy the area’s love for literature, beautiful atmosphere, and access to trails.  The book shops have books and collectors magazines, old comics such as The Adventures of Tintin and so much more—including cafes for some. Fontenoy-la-Joute also has a beautiful church, children’s playground, basketball court, and plenty of areas for dogs to play. …

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Most of the world’s 30-odd surviving obelisks currently stand eroding in the rain in cities like Rome, Istanbul, Paris, and New York, having long ago been pulled down and floated across the sea by Egypt’s successive conquerors. Remarkably, the oldest obelisk of them all has never been moved from its original site. For nearly 4,000 years, the Obelisk of Senusret I has stood guard over what is now Cairo as cities and empires have risen and fallen around it. The……

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From 1874 to the mid 20th-century, the Utrecht Maliebaan station connected the city of Hilversum to Lunetten, which is still in use today. Back then, Lunetten was only a station where passengers could transfer to a different train towards the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, as there was no entrance nor exit for pedestrians at the station. This route had very few passengers, especially as more stations nearby were introduced that connected the larger stations to each other. By 1939, Utrecht……

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Far from the more touristic routes of Tuscany, the church of the Holy Spirit of Indicatore has recently become an attraction for mosaic mavens, art lovers, and curious travelers. The church was put on the map by an ongoing public art project that has transformed the local church into the largest mosaic endeavor in Europe. The Mosaic of Andreina (Il Mosaico di Andreina), a public art project started in 2009 by the artist Andreina Giorgia Carpenito, displays art fashioned from……

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