Travel Bucketlist: 5 Most Insane Structures In The World

.The Big Basket in Newark, Ohio

The giant basket-like structure placed in the centre of Ohio, aptly named Big Basket, was constructed by the owner of Ohio's household brand Longaberger which closed its doors permanently in 2018. It is now a luxury seven-storey hotel. Dave Longaberger's company used to employ about 8,200 employees who sold their handcrafted Longaberger baskets to America through Amway-style sales associates who got a share of any commissions produced by the people they recruited. 

Ceres Enterprises, the hotel's owner-operator, cancelled the project due to the impact of coronavirus on the company's finances, and the building is now offered for $6.5 million. However, the world’s biggest basket is still open for all visitors.

The Solar Furnace in Odeillo, France
Talking about quirky structures, this might need some time for reflection. Well, the solar furnace provides it for the entire city. Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via, a commune in the sunny Pyrenees mountains on the French-Spanish border, is home to the world's largest solar furnace. Made up of 10,000 mirrors that reflect the sun's rays onto a big concave mirror, this one is another architectural whimsy. The mirrors direct a massive amount of sunlight onto an area roughly the size of a frying pot, which achieves temperatures of over 3,000 °C (5,430 °F). The solar furnace is not a new invention. Professor Félix Trombe created the first sophisticated solar furnace in Mont Louis in 1949, and the current one was erected in 1970. The National Scientific Research Center uses the sun furnace to explore heat transfer fluid systems, energy converters, and the behaviour of materials at high temperatures. The aircraft industry is particularly interested in these subjects.

The Museum Moderner in Vienna, Austria
The Mumok, Central Europe's largest art museum since modernism, makes the many facets of the international and Austrian avant-garde accessible to art enthusiasts. The remarkable dark grey cuboid edifice coated in basalt stone in the heart of Wien's Museums Quartier houses an uncommon collection of notable works ranging from Classic Modernism, Pop Art, Fluxus, and Viennese Actionism to contemporary film and media art.

The collection and special exhibitions represent a blend of tradition and experimentation, past and present, from Pablo Picasso to Andy Warhol and Franz West. Architects Ortner & Ortner designed this cubic building clad in basalt lava, which provides 4,800 m2 of exhibition space for monographic or thematic exhibitions as well as alternating presentations of the museum's own collection, which now numbers around 10,000 works of modernist and contemporary art.

The Snail House in Sofia, Bulgaria
Sometimes it’s the sophistication that soothes the eye, and other times it's something so out of the blue that it boggles your mind. The neighbourhood of Simeonovo outsides of Sofia, Bulgaria, is not well-known to tourists. However, concealed in the hinterland dwells is this massive snail whose dazzling rainbow colours easily stop passersby in their tracks. The Snail House is five floors tall and painted with swirls of red, orange, green, blue, and brown coming together to make a giant snail in the middle of the road. It is reported to have no straight walls, corners, or edges. 

Simeon Simeonov, the Snail House's architect, unconventionally designed this rainbow structure. The snail, which has two tentacles on top of its head and curved windows on its sides, was cleverly created to make all of the building's equipment appear to be part of its aesthetic. It has an entrance painted to look like a slug's mouth, requiring tenants to be 'swallowed alive' before entering. Simeonov also replaced the snail's traditional chimney with a large yellow bee on its back. The bee's horns not only conduct smoke but also serve as night lights and lightning arresters.

The Stone House in Guimaraes, Portugal 

Going ancient in this modern world is it's own kind of escape from reality and Casa do Penedo is here to do it for all urban wanderers. It is in the form of a prehistoric dwelling located in northern Portugal, between Celorico de Basto and Fafe. The structure, popularly known as the Castle of Stone, was built between four massive stones found in the vicinity. The castle was erected in 1972 and blends in wonderfully with its surroundings. Designed by engineer Guimares, it was intended to be a pastoral hideaway for a local family over the holidays.

The structure quickly drew the attention of many curious travellers, prompting the owners to relocate. Today, the Casa do Penedo is a modest museum filled with mementoes and images from the building's past and the surrounding surroundings. Despite its proximity to massive windmills, the mansion is utterly devoid of electricity. But it has all creature's comforts. The ground level includes a kitchen and a small living area, both of which are outfitted in a rustic style and include a nearly 800-pound eucalyptus-wood and concrete sofa. The sleeping area is on the upper floor, which is reached through a wooden staircase. Each room in the house has a unique shape that is tailored to a specific geometric aspect of the rock. Outside, there is also a swimming pool and an open-air tank that houses a natural shape of giant stone rock making the entire setting serene, unique and leisurely.