Creepiest Places in Eastern Europe

The Sedlec Ossuary (located in Sedlec, near Kutna Hora) is one of the Czech Republic's creepiest tourist attractions. This Roman Catholic Chapel is decorated almost entirely with human bones, and the effect is both beautiful and spooky. Of particular interest may be the delicate-looking chandelier made of human skulls, long bones, and shoulder blades of the deceased.

While the Kunstkammer has more to it than anatomical exhibitions, it is the "scientific" collection of skeletons from siamese twins and giants, preserved animals and human body parts, and early medical instruments that ranks it among the creepiest attractions in Eastern Europe. The collection dates back to Peter the Great's time. May viewing it in person send more shivers down your spine than even the photos on the official Kunstkammer website.

Seeing Lenin's body at Lenin's Tomb in Moscow is not necessarily scary, but it is creepy. The tomb itself is of black stone that seems to absorb light instead of reflect it, and the solemn soldiers that stiffly and silently guard the tomb seem as waxen as the body of Lenin. Lenin himself is shrunken, tucked in as he is under a fold of fabric, his gray suit neat and tidy. Lenin appears to be a seriously spooky version of Sleeping Beauty underneath the glass that allows visitors to observe without disturbing the preserved body.

Prague's Torture Museum is sure to give visitors the creeps. This small museum exhibits actual historical torture devices that were used throughout Europe. The lack of limitations for human cruelty is the most startling issue that the museum addresses - next to the suffering endured by the victims who were subjected to the torture devices themselves.

Vlad the Impaler, commonly known as Dracula, was a ruler in medieval Romania who loved to punish his enemies in various ways, including running stakes vertically through their still-breathing bodies. Legends surround the historical Dracula figure, and the sites that are connected with Vlad the Impaler may be considered particularly creepy. Don't forget, too, that some Romanians still believe in vampires, and that this superstition is a part of the local folklore.