De Pere, Wisconsin ### Frank & Nancy’s Marine Corps Museum 44.4595, -88.2140 Luarca, Spain ### Giant Squid Museum 43.5410, -6.5389 Mumbai, India ### The Old Limestone Arch 18.9688, 72.8039 A Coruña, Spain ### Plaza Maria Pita 43.3710, -8.3965 ### Only-in-Anchorage Winter Traditions Sponsored By Visit Anchorage, Alaska ### Anchorage: A City Within the Wild Sponsored By Visit Anchorage, Alaska ### Where to See the World’s Creepiest Dolls and Toys 7 days ago ### Where to See the World’s Most Famous Preserved Body Parts 14 days ago From Darth Vader to a mysterious vampire rabbit, these architectural oddities prove that even stone-faced creatures have a sense of humor. One of the gargoyles that adorns Oxford’s Magdalen College. Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User Place ### Park Grove Manor Pumpkin-like gargoyles and grotesques peer down from the rooftop of this unassuming apartment building in Illinois.
Place ### 'Alien' Gargoyle A familiar otherworldly creature guards this 12th-century Scottish abbey. Place ### Plein Rond de Eik The gargoyles and grotesques of the 21st century are here—22 emoji built into a new building in the Netherlands. What’s more wondrous than towering spires on a building?
Vaulted windows, or garden roofs? Nothing jazzes up a normal old cathedral or mansion more than a mischievous face etched in stone, smiling (or, more likely, grimacing) at those passing below. Gargoyles and grotesques, in their own endearingly ugly way, are one of the best ways for architects to let their creations stand apart from the pack and inspire reflection for centuries to come.
While most of these creatures are made in a similar style, with recognizable bodily features, expressions, and poses, there are a handful around the globe that are unapologetically unique: sometimes familiar, sometimes offbeat, and always worth a closer look. A daily dose of hidden gems to visit, extraordinary places to eat and wondrous stories from around the world. Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
Both are ornate stone figures carved into buildings; however, gargoyles also double as waterspouts to drain rainwater off a building, whereas grotesques are purely decorative.**** From the northwest parking lot, near the top of the northwest tower, Darth Vader can be spotted between two massive arches. Cyraxote/Public Domain D.C.’s National Cathedral is the largest in the U.S. and the sixth largest in the world, but it has another, less obvious claim to fame: a small carving of Darth Vader among its spires. When the cathedral underwent constuction in the 1980s, it held a contest for schoolchildren to submit designs, and this infamous villain took third place, earning it a spot on the exterior.
For the best view of the Dark Lord, grab your binoculars and head to the northwest parking lot. Near the top of the northwest tower, Vader is just above a large skull. An Explorer's Guide to the Hidden Wonders of the United States Introducing Our Newest Book: _America Obscura_.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
