And despite it’s well-trodden tourist trail, Europe is also scattered with unique, odd, and extremely obscure sites and attractions that visitors often overlook. Museums dedicated to currywurst in Germany or phallic objects in Iceland; odd sculptures and street art installations in Sarajevo, Prague, and Paris; and the uniqueness of Antoni Gaudi’s works in Barcelona offer visitors respite from admiring yet another baroque church or breathtaking vista.

While the Eiffel Tower or Colosseum are at little risk of losing their prestige to many these lesser-known sites, visitors seeking offbeat attractions will find plenty to marvel at in Europe. During our time exploring this continent we stumbled onto our fair share of unique, obscure, and sometimes plain weird sites. Here are a few of our favorites.

Gnome Sculptures – Wroclaw, Poland

Hundreds of small bronze gnome sculpture, about a foot in height, are scattered through the historic core of Wroclaw, Poland and surrounding neighbourhoods. “Cool” gnomes riding motorcycles, wizard gnomes in tall pointy hats, and environmentally conscious gnomes pushing recycling bins are tucked into corners, suspended form lampposts, and hidden in plain sight for those that know where to look. Anyone want to play I spy?

Comic Strip Murals – Brussels, Belgium

“Yoko Tsuno” – You can really see the size

Much like Gdansk’s gnomes, the city of Brussels is dotted with epic murals depicting a range of famous and obscure comic book characters. Tintin (and his little dog Snowy) is likely the most famous characters to appear in these murals, however even non-comic book reading visitors are sure to spot a few other familiar faces while exploring the city. They murals even have a Wikipedia page.

Pregnant Lady Street Art Installation – Prague, Czech Republic

image via

A contender for the strangest piece of public art we’ve seen to date, this sculpture depicts a pregnant lady, kneeling on the ground with her legs spread and her hands firmly clasped behind her head. Still not obscure enough for Prague, the sculpture is created out of shiny aluminum and is very reminiscent of a lego sculpture.  Overtly sexual, somehow the sculpture works in Prague, even if passing school children look up at it with puzzled expressions.

Carmo Convent – Lisbon, Portugal

Rows of large arches

Ruined by earthquake in 1755, today all that remains of Carmo Convent are the beautiful Gothic pillars of the former church and a small museum. These exterior elements of Carmo Convent are quite stunning, especially on a sunny day, and the site’s museum houses two Peruvian mummies from the 16th century – an off-putting display that only gets creepier upon closer inspection. A real contender for oldest human hair we’ve ever seen in person.

Pere Lachaise Cemetery – Paris, France

The presence of graffiti shows we are in the right place

As far as cemeteries go, Pere Lachaise is far from the strangest we’ve had the chance to explore. What makes Pere Lachaise so unique is that it is the final resting place for The Doors frontman Jim Morrison, whose headstone has grown into something of a shrine. Forty plus years since his death, fans still leave flowers, graffiti, and the odd joint in tribute to Morrison, while a security guard watches to ensure no one jumps the guard rails surrounding his headstone.

Museum of Broken Relationships – Zagreb, Croatia

Rage and Fury Room (via)

It’s always a good sign when you first hear about a quirky museum like this while washing your laundry in an equally quirky laundromat in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and as promised, the Museum of Broken Relationships did not disappoint. The museum’s premise is quite simple – helping people emotionally overcome a failed relationship by contributing to their collection. In under an hour we browsed the personal belongings of hundreds of contributors from around the world. Some of these displays were funny, others angering, touching, or the equivalent of emotional napalm, but all were wonderfully quirky.

Abandoned Beelitz Sanitorium – Berlin, Germany

Delving deeper into Berlin and it’s tumultuous history, I signed up for a tour of the abandoned Beelitz Sanitorium just outside the city limits. A short walk from the primitive train station, in a small clearing, three buildings sit in a horseshoe shape. Constructed in 1902, these buildings first served as a tuberculosis clinic before becoming a hospital during both World Wars, even treating then soldier Adolf Hitler during the first World War. During the Cold War, this site was the largest Soviet hospital outside of Russia before being deserted in the early nineties. Many a rave have been held here since, and while the crumbling buildings are beginning to show their age, their original beauty is still evident.

Museum of Art Fakes – Vienna, Austria

Small space, big art (fakes)

Incorrectly reading the hours of operation for this tiny museum, Travis and I returned three times before we finally got our timing right, however all this back and forth was completely worth it to delve into the world of art fakes. In addition to learning about the immense level of effort that goes into creating an art fake, from the aged paper used to specific hardening processes, brush strokes, and in one case egg yolk washes, we were able to come face to face with fakes so good that they were verified as authentic and sold for millions of dollars.

Europe offers visitors so many different types of attractions, it really is a mixed bag of so many wonderful things. Have you had a chance to visit Europe? What’s the most off-beat or quirky attraction you’ve seen there?

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We failed to foresee any problems with catching a game on the night of our arrival in London – after a nine hour flight and significant time change. However Travis was able to fulfill a childhood dream, making it all worth while. And hey, the home team won!

 

Zagreb

Cordoba’s Mezquita

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After our rave reviews about Zagreb (here), we thought a bit more detail about our favorite attractions was needed. If you’re like us and foolishly allocated only one day in your trip to Zagreb here are our top five, must-see, miss-at-your-peril, attractions.

Church Ceilings

Yes the entire church is nice, however the hand painted ceilings in the Franciscan Church stole our attention. Painted a deep cobalt blue, speckled with golden stars, and framed by looming white stone pillars, we couldn’t look away. Need another reason to visit? Rumour has it that St. Francis of Assisi himself lived at the monastery right next door for a significant period of time.

Painted to resemble the night sky – it reminds me of the great hall at Hogwart’s

In the Kaptol neighbourhood of Upper Town, the Franciscan Church and Monastery are just down from the Cathedral on Kaptol Street – look for the spire (visible from the Cathedral) and head around the corner for the main entrance.

Dolac Market

Just a short walk from the crowded pews of the Cathedral is Zagreb’s most famous open air market. Affectionately known as the “belly of Zagreb”, the market features fresh produce, cured meats, and a fish market, and is a great opportunity to shop amongst the locals or try something new. We couldn’t resist buying some fresh peaches, a pomegranate, and some Croatian mandarin oranges.

A Croatian Mandarin Orange – absolutely delicious!

Crates of fresh fruit tempt us at the open air market

The market is easy to recognize with all those red umbrellas

The Zagreb fish market

Look for the red umbrellas, it’s impossible to miss. The main food market is on Dolac Street, however there are stalls selling crafts, clothes, and home goods stretching up Opatovina as well. The market is open everyday (with the exception of public holidays) and closes by 4 pm (2pm on Sunday).

Museum of Broken Relationships

We first stumbled upon this museum in a travel magazine (while waiting for clean clothes in Dubrovnik’s adorable Launderette), and upon researching a bit further we realized it was ranked as the third best attraction in Zagreb on Trip Advisor. The premise is simple, emotionally overcome a failed relationship through creation by contributing to the museum’s collection. In a little under an hour, we browsed the collection of personal belongings donated to the museum from individuals around the world – each holding meaning of a previous relationship. The displays include write-ups from the specific donor, sometimes a few words and sometimes many, some clearly explaining the item’s meaning, others a more interpretive poem or prose, and we found it extremely interesting and touching. Some of the exhibits are funny, others extremely moving and heartbreaking; one we both liked is the “Mira Furlan” bowl…

The museum has toured internationally and now has a permanent collection in Kulmer palace in Upper Town next to St. Mark’s Square. Admission is 25 Kuna per person, operating hours can be found on their website here.

The Art Pavilion

Although choosing a favorite building in Zagreb is difficult, the history surrounding the Art Pavilion made it stand out for us. Located in King Tomislav square, near the train station, the building was originally built to serve as the Croatia Pavilion at the Budapest Millennial Exhibition in 1896. Afterwards, the building was disassembled and transported to its current location in Zagreb. Opened in 1898, it currently houses contemporary art exhibits. Looking up at the building’s intricate details and grander, it’s unfathomable to picture how it was transported and reassembled. The bright yellow facade is definitely eye catching as well.

Meteorological Post

At the far end of Nikola Subic Zrinski Square sits a unique concrete post, easily overshadowed by the flowerbeds, elegant tree lined promenade, wrought iron bandstand, fountains, and statues. However, upon closer inspection, the intricacies of the Meteorological Post become more evident and tremendously fascinating. Recording the weather since 1884, it’s possible to check not only the temperature here but also the air pressure, time of day, and many other meteorological measurements.

There’s lots to see and lots to explore in the beautiful city of Zagreb, and we would recommend a stop there to anyone in the region.

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Some of the gorgeous architecture found throughout the historic core

Involved to a minor extent in the Croatian War of Independence, Zagreb seems more impacted by a lack of post-war funding than the war itself. Most of the apartment buildings surrounding the centre core date back to the 1970s and 1980s and clearly show their age, with mismatched awnings and laundry drying in the sun only exaggerating the worn appearance; but, look closer and you quickly realize the streets and sidewalks are open with an abundance of green space, and modern glass buildings are slowly taking over the landscape. Oddly juxtaposed between worn apartment buildings and sparkling glass shopping malls is the ornate historic centre, Croatia’s best kept secret and the focus of our visit to Zagreb.

The Croatian State Archives

A pretty street view during the summer

The Art Pavilion, reassembled here after the 1896 Budapest Exhibition

Crossing under the main bus station, the historic part of the capital unfolds before you. Divided into two parts, Gornji grad (the Upper Town and medieval core of the city) and Donji grad (the Lower Town) and connected via funicular (a short and very steep train type of transportation) the historic core offers wonderfully preserved and maintained heritage homes, large expanses of park, cobblestone streets, statues, fountains, churches, and museums to explore.

One of our favorite elements of this area were the brightly painted buildings that line almost every street and feature intricately carved moldings and decorative elements. Each doorway, window frame, and eave is an individual piece of artwork, making it possible to become swept up in the intricacies of just one building for hours at a time.

The wonderfully lush Nikola Subic Zrinski Square

One of the prettiest churches I’ve ever seen, Franciscan Church Zagreb

Produce for sale at the Dolac market

Both upper and lower towns also offer numerous tree lined parks, making it easy to find a quiet place to sit and take in the beauty of the area. Each park also has its own unique historical connection – a natural spring water fountain that supplied drinking water to the town; a meteorological post that’s been recording the weather here since 1884; a statue in honor of Croatia’s first king – making their exploration not only enjoyable but a must in any guidebook.

The Cathedral’s neo-gothic facade

Spire restoration – the Cathedral went into decay during the Communist reign

The Cathedral’s clock stopped during the 1880 earthquake

Finally, a tour of Zagreb’s historic core would be incomplete without some time dedicated to exploring the countless museums, palaces of a bygone aristocracy, and intricately designed churches and cathedrals. It’s nearly impossible to choose favorites and luckily you shouldn’t have to as most of the area can be explored in a day (although we found it a bit short and would have preferred two).

It’s easy to see why the people of Zagreb flock to the area in summer – the atmosphere is wonderfully youthful among the beautiful architecture and historical sites. Overall, a wonderful gem is hidden away in Zagreb and reason enough to make the city more than a stop over on your way to the coast.

St. Mark’s Church with amazing roof tiles

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