Wicked places in Europe

Don't step on them!!!

No seriously, both Armenian and Azerbaijan forces mined the East front of Nagorno-Karabakh heavily in the 1991-1994 conflict. Many areas have since been cleared, but there are still a lot of land that is mined. The safe areas are those with a blue HALO Trust sign saying "cleared", while you want to stay clear of the areas with the red mine sign.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a republic recognised by nobody, especially not Azerbaijan. It lies inside Azerbaijan but is "occupied" by Armenians - the Armenians have always lived in Nagorno-Karabakh, but the region was given to Azerbaijan during the Soviet times. When the USSR dissolved, the conflict reemerged with fierce fighting going on in 1991-1994 which left Nagorno-Karabakh wartorn. Today, it is possible to visit Nagorno-Karabakh Republic - but only from Armenia. You will be denied entry to Azerbaijan if they find any proof (souvenirs, photos, visa from NKR) that you have been to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Disclaimer: We are not political here on Globe Spots, we are just presenting things from a traveller's point of view.

Seemingly cut off from the rest of Azerbaijan by Armenia, the exclave of Naxchivan sees very few tourists. With some saying the region was settled by Noah himself (of biblical fame) the area, including it's capital Naxchivan seem to be stuck in the past. Although largely used for Iranians looking to blow off a little steam in otherwise alcohol-less Iran, there is sufficient tourism infrastructure in the city to use as a base for region explorations. For those not wishing to wander too far off into the unknown, Naxchivan City has several mausoleum scattered throughout the town to occupy a day or so. Keep in mind, the people here are not as friendly as other in the region, and they are VERY sensitive about issues with Armenia. In fact, it is possible that you will be denied entry to Naxchivan if you have an Armenian visa (a practice not enforced in the rest of Azerbaijan). To get here, you'll either need two Azerbaijani visas, or fly from Baku.

This sight pretty much sums up how much the Western world is interested in Belarus - well, close to zero. So instead of directing travellers to Belarusian sites of local historical interest, guidebooks present a place where an American guy, who (maybe) killed an American president, once lived during his twenties more than half a century back. The locals in Minsk have of course no clue why this house is mentioned in foreign travel guides.

Bones and skulls from more than 40.000 people are neatly arranged and used for morbid decoration in the chapel beneath the church. In 1870 a woodcarver was put in charge of the pile of bones the chapel had accumulated through times. With a bit of creativity and a weird sense of humour he furnished the chapel with the bones. Pyramids made out of skulls, a huge chandelier containing every kind of bone in the human body and even a coat-of-arms. Whether you fancy the bizarre taste or not, you won't see anything like it elsewhere.

Christiania started as a free spirit hippie community in an squatted military area in 70s right in the middle of Copenhagen. They never got kick out and slowly the small community grow to a self-proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood with experimental theaters, shops, bars, workshops, imaginative homemade houses and a lot of drugs. In the beginning all kind of drugs were sold which attracted a lot of trouble. But Christiania got its act together and cleaned up so only soft drugs, like hashish, marijuana and mushrooms are sold in the street that had become known as "Pusher Street" - a name that sticks today on official maps (even on Google). Though drugs (including soft drugs) are illegal in Denmark, the street is still lined dealers showing their merchandise just like any other flea market, but police raids are not uncommon. Christiania is the third most popular tourist attraction in Copenhagen after Tivoli and the Little Mermaid.

This Soviet cargo flight got 'rescued' during the withdrawal of the Russian troops from Estonia which was completed in 1994. It's possible to get inside the flight and admire the 'simplicity' of the An-12 (there are e.g. no radar), if you can get a hold of the owner.

During the Soviet occupation Paldiski was a top secret Soviet naval base for submarines. Apart of the facilities was a full scale nuclear submarine simulator to practice upcoming deployment. Apparently they didn't want the reactor too close to the base, so they made a secret underground nuclear reactor further out. Today the reactor has been sealed off with a concrete sarcophagus and on top stand a dummy building of unknown origin. The area is still fenced off and guarded, but you are allowed to peek through the gate from a distance. Note the 'hammer and sickle' art piece south of the building.

Out in the woods in the outskirt of the bleak settlement of Ämari stands a strange leftover from when Ämari was home to a Soviet air base, a small graveyard for fallen Soviet pilots. Their graves are marked with a tip of a flight wing and decorated with stars and picture. It's a wonder why these leftovers from the Soviet occupation haven't been kicked over, but that just add to the bizarness of this unusual cemetery.

With a 13th century fortress and a beautiful Gregorian Orthodox church, the town of Gori might see a few tourists. But those sites are not what the city is famous for. Instead, it was December 18th, 1878 that forever sealed Gori's status into infamy. That was the day Joseph Stalin was born in Gori. The Stalin Museum is not a celebration of his life, it is instead a historical time capsule for the life of Stalin. Easily doable as a day-trip from the capital Tbilisi, Gori is an opportunity for russophiles to take a walk back into Soviet times. Places like this are few and far between in a region trying to move on from it's troubled past.