The world is full of amazing places, beckoning with their secrets and enchanting with their uniqueness. But among them there are special cities that not only surprise, but also make you think, and sometimes even shock a little. It will be interesting for tourists there, but probably few would be able to decide to live there.

Hell (USA)

The city of Hell is located in the state of Michigan, USA, and is a charming town where tourists will find not the torments of hell, but fun and adventure. Why is it called Hell? There is no exact answer, but there are two legends:

1. In the XIX century, two German travelers, fascinated by the local beauty, exclaimed: Wie schön und hell! (“How beautiful and bright!”). An American who did not know German heard Hell (“Hell”) and the name stuck.
2. In the XIX century there was a mill, a store and a distillery here. Men sent out shopping often “disappeared” for a long time, causing the anger of their wives: “When he went, it was like he had gone to hell!” In 1841, when the state of Michigan was formed, the settlement had to be given a name, Hell was the first thing that came to mind.

A lot of entertainment awaits tourists in the city. There is a post office here to send your friends a postcard from Hell. You can also purchase a plot in Hell that is one inch in size. And for a little over a hundred dollars, you can buy the position of mayor of Hell for one day.

Hallstatt (China)

The original Hallstatt, the pearl of Austria, rests in the arms of the Alps and is washed by the waters of the lake of the same name. This UNESCO-listed destination fascinates travelers from all over the world. But there is also its “double”, created by the hands of skilled Chinese craftsmen.

Hallstatt – Made in China is located in Guangdong province, not far from bustling Hong Kong. Inspired by the Austrian idyll, a Chinese billionaire has invested a fabulous sum - almost a billion dollars - in recreating a European town in his homeland. Now fellow citizens of the Middle Kingdom can immerse themselves in the atmosphere of Europe without leaving the country.

However, it is worth noting that the “Chinese Hallstatt” is not just a copy. This is an elite residential complex, where real estate is much more expensive than in the Austrian original.

By the way, Hallstatt is not the first copy of Europe on Chinese soil. In Shanghai lies the town of Thames - a miniature copy of Great Britain. Classic architecture, authentic cuisine, aromatic tea and red telephone booths - the unique atmosphere of Foggy Albion reigns here.

Setenil de Las Bodegas (Spain)

The name speaks for itself: “Rock City”. The city, as if growing out of a rock, gives an unforgettable experience. Walking along its streets, where a boulder hangs overhead, transports you to another dimension. And houses whose “roofs” are gigantic boulders give you the feeling that you are in a fairy tale.

Some of the buildings in this Andalusian town are skillfully carved into basalt rock.

Coober Pedy (Australia)

In the heart of the Australian continent, far from busy cities, lies Coober Pedy - a city unlike any other. In the Aboriginal language, its name sounds like kupa-piti - “white man’s hole”. And this is not just a name - one and a half thousand residents of Coober Pedy really live underground.

The history of the city dates back to the beginning of the XX century, when crowds of prospectors poured here, eager to mine precious opals. The sweltering heat, reaching 50°C, made life on the surface unbearable, and people began to seek salvation underground.

Today Coober Pedy is a real underground metropolis. Residential buildings, shops, galleries, two churches, a hotel and even a museum - all this is hidden from the scorching sun under the thickness of the earth. The lower buildings of the city go to a depth of 6 meters.

Longyearbyen (Norway)

Longyearbyen is located on the Svalbard archipelago, it is the northernmost city on the planet with a population of about 2000 people.

Life in Longyearbyen is subject to the harsh laws of the Arctic. For four months of the year, the polar night reigns here, when the sun does not rise above the horizon. There is not a single cat in the city, as they cannot tolerate low temperatures.

But the most amazing feature of Longyearbyen is that you cannot die here. In permafrost conditions, bodies do not decompose, but become mummified. This can attract polar bears, so all the dead are transported to the mainland for burial.

Colma (USA)

Unlike other towns, Colma has a unique feature: a cemetery the size of the town itself.

It all started with the gold rush of the XIX century. Crowds of prospectors flocked to San Francisco, where harsh life quickly filled the cemeteries. In 1900, burials were prohibited in the city, and a few years later it was decided to completely remove the cemeteries - there was no one to care for them.

The solution was found in neighboring Colma. New dead people began to be buried here, as well as graves being moved from San Francisco. Today, for one and a half thousand residents of Colma, there are more than one and a half million burials.

Once upon a time, only those whose work was related to the cemetery lived here: priests, florists, gravediggers, stonemasons. But at the end of the last century the situation began to change.

Americans nicknamed Colm the “City of Souls” or the “City of Silence.” And the residents themselves say with humor: “It’s great to be alive in Colma!”

Auroville (India)

Imagine a place where there is no division into “us” and “outsiders”, where people are not limited by religion, wealth, nationality or social status. Where there is no place for money, and education, medicine, sports and entertainment are available to everyone without exception. Where people come together for a common purpose, working for a prosperous society.

In 1968, in the south of India, in the state of Tamil Nadu, such a city was born. Auroville, which means “City of Dawn”, was the brainchild of 124 countries, including the Soviet Union. Today, this utopian city, a project of UNESCO and the Indian Ministry of Education, continues to develop as a unique experimental project.

All important issues here are resolved by a general meeting of residents. More local tasks are delegated to working groups. Work in Auroville is not just a way to earn money, it is a path to self-expression and development. Education is not limited to grades and diplomas; its goal is to discover and develop the talents of every person.

In the heart of the city, like a symbol of harmony and agreement, rises the Matrimandir - the Temple of Creative Energy, built in 2008. But Auroville itself continues to grow and develop, embodying the ideals of a new, better world.

As of February 1, 2019, the number of residents is 3042 people. Residents of Auroville are citizens of 58 countries, the number of Indian citizens is 1353.

Miyakejima (Japan)

Miyakejima is a Japanese town on an island washed by the Pacific Ocean. In the very heart of the island lies the Oyama volcano, which spews poisonous gases and ash from time to time.

Despite the dangerous neighborhood, three thousand residents of Miyakejima do not leave their homes. Gas masks are their integral attribute, and the siren is a signal that it’s time to put them on. Paradoxically, it is precisely this feature of life that attracts crowds of tourists hungry for thrills to the island.