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Manapouri, New Zealand
Manapouri Cabins
Eighteen cabins overlook the lake that sparked New Zealand's environmental movement: saved by 265,000 signatures in 1970.
From the CommunityDoors
Many times a door is just a door, but sometimes the door represents passage to a new, fantastical place. Other times, the doors themselves have a certain charm, an undeniable "it factor". This collection contains doors of all kinds. Step through and discover something new.
Napier, New Zealand
Hildebrandt’s
Designed in 1933 by Louis Hay, who never cared for Art Deco; he was too busy channeling Frank Lloyd Wright from 1912.
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Seville, Spain
Casa de Pilatos
A 1519 pilgrimage inspired this nobleman to measure Pilate's walk to Golgotha—then replicate it across Seville, starting at his palace door.
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Seville, Spain
Populart
Seville's Populart rescues 400-year-old tiles from doomed buildings and sells them for less than the tourist stuff.
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Sevilla, Spain
Garlochi Bar
This Seville bar serves the Blood of Christ nightly: a cocktail of whisky, grenadine, and cava amid unblessed religious relics.
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Ribeirão da Ilha, Brazil
Ribeirão da Ilha
Brazil's oyster capital speaks an 18th-century Azorean dialect, preserved by accident when immigration simply stopped in 1756.
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Tromsø, Norway
Skansen
Tromsø's medieval fortress became a customs house in 1789 built atop 13th-century ramparts to tax newly liberated trade.
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San Francisco, California, United States
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz gave inmates hot showers: not as comfort, but to keep them from acclimating to the Bay's icy escape route.
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Penzance, United Kingdom
Jubilee Pool
One councillor called it "the biggest white elephant Penzance has ever had." He was spectacularly wrong.
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Marbella, Spain
Marbella
A breakdown in a 900-person fishing village: how Prince Alfonso de Hohenlohe's faulty Rolls-Royce accidentally created Marbella.
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Bielsko-Biała, Poland
Frog House
One frog smokes a pipe, the other plays mandolin. They've been at it since 1903.
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Marrakech, Morocco
Jardin de la Ménara
This 12th-century basin trained Almohad soldiers to swim to Spain: and still irrigates olive groves via 900-year-old channels.
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Cascais, Portugal
Cascais
Portugal's iconic black-and-white pavements started as prison labor in 1842. Now they're headed for UNESCO recognition.
From the Community
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Duncan Mclaren Locksmiths
Founded in 1851—the year a locksmith picked Britain's 'unpickable' lock at the Great Exhibition—this shop still cuts keys.
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Seville, Spain
Jardin du Real Alcazar
Seville's Alcazar gardens began as Islamic orchards feeding the court, then morphed through six centuries into a European anomaly.
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Kythira, Greece
Kythira
Kythira, mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, now has more descendants in Australia than residents on the island itself.
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Helsinki, Finland
Lasipalatsi Square
A 'temporary' 1936 building outlasted the Olympics it was built for, which never happened, and inspired an underground museum.
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Wanaka, New Zealand
Wānaka Lavender Farm
A freestanding purple door in a lavender field frames nothing but mountains and has become irresistibly photogenic.
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Tallinn, Estonia
Restoran Olde Hansa
This Tallinn restaurant bans potatoes, tomatoes, and chocolate—only ingredients available before 1492 make the cut.
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Basel, Switzerland
Basel Zoo Antelope House
A neoclassical monument to animals that never arrived.
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Ioannina, Greece
Stoa Liampei
A covered arcade rebuilt in stone and iron after fire leveled half the city's shops in the 1800s now hosts modern day shops.
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Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm Palace
Stockholm's Royal Guards rotate in from across Sweden for week-long shifts, and once doubled as the city's firefighters.
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Oamaru, New Zealand
Oamaru Opera House
The architect designed it in 1907, then sailed to Australia in 1911 and never returned to see it age.
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Shiraz, Iran
Nasir al-Mulk Mosque
This mosque's expensive gamble turns morning prayers into a daily light show.
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Nancy, France
Grand Nancy Métropole Meurthe-et-Moselle
Built in 1908 by refugees from German-annexed Alsace, Nancy's Chamber of Commerce married art with industry as cultural resistance.
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Nancy, France
Musée de l’École de Nancy
Nancy's Art Nouveau movement was born from displacement—refugees fleeing German annexation created 'art for all.'
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Rheinfelden, Switzerland
Feldschlösschen Brewery
A warm winter nearly destroyed Switzerland's largest brewery before it began.
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McMurdo Station, Antarctica
Chapel of the Snows
The Chapel of the Snows is Antarctica’s southernmost interfaith church, offering reflection, community, and warmth at the coldest place on Earth.
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Sidhpur, India
Abandoned Mansions of Sidhpur
Whether you view Sidhpur as a place of splendor or desolation, few ghost towns exhibit such dramatic multicolored flair.
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New York, New York, United States
Explorers Club
The Explorers Club has been a launchpad for history-making adventurers.
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Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
Almacén la Carlota
Where art meets appetite in Colonia.
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Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
Calle de Los Suspiros
Colonia’s "Street of Sighs", once a bustling hub for sailors and brothels, became a UNESCO gem thanks to the women who preserved its historic charm.
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Lewes, Delaware, United States
Post Office
Lewes’ post office stands as a tribute to Benjamin Franklin, the original postmaster general and face of over 130 U.S. stamps.
Santana, Portugal
Casa Tipica de Santana
More than just postcard-perfect, these structures offer a glimpse of Portuguese history.
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San Francisco, California, United States
Chinatown
SF's most popular tourist destination has quite the history.
From the Community