Wicked places in Europe

The Danish star architect Bjarke Ingels has turned Amagers waste-to-energy power plant into a year-around artificial ski slope with running trails along the edge. In addition, the World's highest climbing wall snakes its way on the side to the top at 85 m. Those who don't want to ski or snowboard (or climb) can access the rooftop by either hiking up along the running trails or just using the free glass elevator. There is an afterski bar at the top with magnificent 360 degrees views over Copenhagen and parts of Sweden.

There are very few places in Europe where you legally can drive on the beach, but the westcoast of Jutland has some. One stretch of auto beach starts at Rødhus Klit and continues 15 km to Grønhøj Beach right next to the popular holiday town of Løkken. Along the way you need to cross a few shallow creeks, but you don't need a four wheel drive. Just stick to the hard sand close to the water line, if you only have a two wheel drive. The most adventurous can sleep in the car on the beach at Blokhus (also legal). Of course, you need to check the conditions before you drive off.

This Soviet cargo flight was '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 (e.g. there is 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. Part 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 stands 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 pictures. It's a wonder why these leftovers from the Soviet occupation haven't been kicked over, but that just adds to the bizarreness of this unusual cemetery.

Abkhazia is a non-recognized breakaway state which declared independence from Georgia in 1993 after 13 month of war. They have their own language, flag and government, but have strong ties to Russia and use Russian ruble. You can enter from both the Georgian (apply for visa online) and the Russian side, though you can't continue into Georgia if entering from Russia (and therefor need a Russian double entries visa). The number of sights in Abkhazia are very limited to a beautiful countryside, a mountain lake, a cave, a church and a monastery, but the hordes of Russian tourists adore the Black Sea coast the most. However, if you are into abandoned buildings and general neglected urban scenery, Abkhazia will fascinate you.

Our guide to Abkhazia.

The border crossing from Georgia to the non-recognized breakaway state of Abkhazia is probably one of the weirdest. You are not getting stamped out on the Georgian side, as they still consider Abkhazia part of Georgia, but you still need to register at the police post and show your Abkhazian entry permit. You then walk 1.5 km - or pay for a ride in a horse cart - through no-man's land on a crappy road which is only used by cows and Abkhazian border shoppers, who have been to Georgia to pick up a new television or aircon. Right before the Abkhazian border post you cross a beat up bridge from 1948, built by German prisoners of war. At the first Abkhazian post the officer will call the Foreign ministry to check your visa. When confirmed, you lead into a fenced off passage which leads to the final check point, where you whereabouts will be questioned. Finally you're through to the Abkhazian side. There are nothing else on both sides beside waiting taxi drivers and the occasional marshrutka. No money changers, no shops, no nothing. Be prepared!

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.

Berlin is a pretty cool city as it is, but throw in an abandoned amusement park and pretty soon you're bordering on uber-cool. Spree Park has been operating in one form or another since 1969 but over the last 20 years has developed from a festive place for German families to stroll through on a Sunday afternoon into an off-limits and eerie sub cultural icon.
Nestled amongst the vast Treptower Park, which among other things is famous for having hosted Albert Einstein’s first lecture on the theory of relativity in 1915, Spree Park has slowly become the most talked about element of the complex. Complete with fallen dinosaurs, dilapidated roller coaster tracks and the once iconic "Ferris Wheel of Berlin" there’s plenty to explore if you do make the trip over the security fence. Oh yeah, it’s private property and does have an on-site security guard. It's up to you...

In 1936 the Nazis started to built what was suppose to be a monstrous hotel. A 4.5 km long holiday complex split into eight identical six-storey blocks right on one of the prettiest beaches on the island of Rügen. Due to WWII the Nazis never finished the then almost complete hotel. For many years during the war and afterwards, the buildings were used for all kinds of purpose ranging from military base for the Soviet Union and later DDR, to refugee camps and school. The Soviet troops managed to blow up two blocks, but probably realized that Nazi constructions are hard to get rid off. After the unification of Germany, the complex was mostly abandon and left to decay in the unspoiled nature of Rügen, until 2011 when a youth hostel moved into one of the blocks. Soon other developers followed, turning the old Nazi hotel into fancy apartments with panoramic views over the Baltic Sea. As of today, five of the six remaining blocks have been renovated, so soon nobody will be able to recognize this Nazi ruin.