Top 10 Most Bizarre Towns in the World

WatchMojo

From underground dwellings to scarecrow-filled streets, these settlements redefine what we consider normal! Join us as we explore the world's most unusual communities, where traditional living takes unexpected turns. From opal mining homes to towns built into rocks, these places will make you question reality.

Transcript

00:00An army of scarecrows have popped up and outgrown the population of those still left behind.

00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 most bizarre towns

00:10in the world. For this list, we're ranking for uniqueness derived from nature or human choices.

00:17Number 10. Monsanto, Portugal. You might want to say that this town takes integration with

00:21its natural surroundings to a whole new level. However, new is a term that feels weird when

00:26applied to Monsanto. There's been a settlement on this mountain since the 1100s, and evidence

00:31suggests human presence dating back to the early Stone Age. It's been maintained and developed over

00:35the centuries and through various wars. Many of the village's 800-plus residents live in homes built

00:41directly into the granite rock face, giving them a look that mixes modernity with the prehistoric

00:45and the medieval. It was awarded the distinction of Most Portuguese Village of Portugal in 1938,

00:51for which it received a silver rooster, which was proudly placed atop the clock tower.

00:55Number 9. Taos, New Mexico, USA. Earthships are the revolutionary creation of Michael Reynolds.

01:01The American architect took upcycled materials such as used tires and bottles and combined them

01:06with some natural materials to create sustainable homes. Reynolds started a company to build and

01:11sell his homes and to teach people how to build their own. They're designed to be less reliant on

01:16public utilities and fossil fuels, using solar energy and rainwater whenever possible. They use

01:21natural cross ventilation to regulate indoor temperature. It's almost like if you're inside

01:25a cave. So caves usually stay at about 63-65 degrees all year round, and so then it's a lot easier

01:33to cool or to warm up that space. This last part is particularly relevant in places like Taos, New Mexico,

01:39where Reynolds began building them in the 1970s. While this particular type of off-grid living is popular

01:45around the world, they are most popular in Taos, which now boasts more than 70 such structures.

01:51Once you start looking at these homes differently than traditional construction in the country and

01:57in the world, these just make so much more sense. Number 8. La Rinconada, Peru. It's the highest

02:03permanent settlement on Earth, located between 16 and 17,000 feet above sea level. This hardscrabble

02:10clutter of corrugated iron shacks and bustling markets is the highest human habitation in the

02:15world. Some also call it devil's paradise because of unchecked criminal gangs. But conditions in this

02:21Peruvian Andes town make it anything but a paradise. There is no running water, no functional sewage

02:26systems, food is imported from lower areas, and they only got electricity in the 2000s.

02:31And only the hardest can carve out a living here. Such is life up in thin air.

02:39Despite these challenges, La Rinconada has a population of close to 30,000, and many of

02:44them chose to move there. The reason is simple. Gold. The area has several gold mines, some legal and

02:50some illegal. The air is thin due to the altitude and contains mercury vapor, so life expectancy is

02:57only 30 to 35 years. These lands hold vast riches, destined for shimmering jewelry showrooms far away.

03:04Yet the people who haul that treasure from the depths are trapped in a cycle of poverty.

03:10Number 7. Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway. When it comes to settlements with a population of more

03:15than 1,000, this is as far north as you can go. Actually, we're all here squeezed in this little

03:23space here because of the nature, yeah? For four months of the year, the sun doesn't shine on this

03:30eastern Norwegian community, and there is a week-long celebration called Solfestuga when

03:34daylight finally returns. Residents are required to carry a rifle outdoors to protect against polar

03:39bears, and cats are banned. Here, it's dangerous. You have polar bears, so you need to be awake. You

03:47need to be aware what's happening around you. Death in Longyearbyen is not just unconventional.

03:53It's effectively, though not literally, illegal. It's too cold for bodies to decompose. The terminally

03:59ill must fly to the mainland in their final days, and when someone dies unexpectedly, the body must

04:03be transported off the island. It is possible to bury cremated ashes with a permit, but no bodies have

04:09been buried there since 1950. You're not meant to be born here, that's for sure. We don't have a

04:13maternity ward, and even if you are unlucky enough to die here, you're going to be shipped off.

04:19Number 6. Rocamadour, France

04:22If you want to take a trip back to medieval times, but also get your cardio in, may we

04:26recommend Rocamadour, France? Overlooking the Alzu Valley is Rocamadour.

04:31At the bottom, there is a preserved medieval village, spread out over what is pretty much

04:35one street. The buildings date from the 1300s to the 1700s, though they have, of course,

04:40been repurposed for modern times. Then, there is a 233-step staircase that leads to the churches,

04:46which collectively are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Up a little further is the castle. This is

04:51a pilgrimage people have done for centuries, and can still be done today. While it does make our

04:56list of bizarre places, it's also the third most popular tourist attraction in France.

05:00This vertical village is visited by 1.5 million people every year.

05:06Number 5. Nagoro Village, Shikoku, Japan

05:08This village on Japan's smallest island previously had a population of approximately 300. By 2019,

05:15that number had dwindled to just 27. That's the human population. If you count the life-size

05:20scarecrows, though, it's closer to 400.

05:22Sitting in fields at bus stops and empty shops, scarecrows have taken over the shrinking village.

05:28In the early 2000s, former resident Tsukimi Ayano returned to the village and made a doll in her

05:34father's likeness and placed it in a field. My crops just didn't grow, so I thought that they

05:38were being eaten by those crows. That's when I decided to create some scarecrows, and that's what

05:43started all this. She made more, some representing former residents and others invented. Some of her

05:49neighbors joined in, placing them all around town. The old school became home to several scarecrows

05:54after classes stopped in 2012. Now, the village's scarecrow population outnumbers its human

05:59population 10 to 1. This town is now known as the Nagoro Doll Village or the Nagoro Scarecrow

06:04Village.

06:05Ayano wants to keep making scarecrows that entertain visitors.

06:09Number 4. Civita di Bagno Reggio, Viterbo, Italy

06:12Each morning as the sun rises on this medieval town seemingly plucked from a fairy tale,

06:17the narrow lanes of Civita di Bagno Reggio are quiet. Just getting to this hilltop town about 75

06:24miles north of Rome is itself a challenge. You'll need to cross a footbridge over a gorge. It was

06:29built as an Etruscan settlement roughly 2,500 years ago, and originally had five gates which have

06:34disappeared over the centuries due to erosion, causing some to call Civita di Bagno Reggio the

06:39dying city.

06:40But now a mix of geological engineering and tourism is giving this ancient city new life.

06:45The bridge was built in 1965, has a toll, and is accessible to pedestrians and at some times

06:52bikes and motorcycles. The town itself has preserved its medieval look. It's a few blocks

06:57surrounded by stone, with some unavoidable bits of modernity such as business signs and patio

07:02furniture. There are only 16 human residents, and a bunch of cats live there as well.

07:07And who knows how many cats?

07:09Number 3. Hallstatt, Guangdong Province, China

07:12If you're looking for the old world charm of an Austrian village,

07:15you may want to consider a trip to China.

07:17This is a replica of an Austrian city named Hallstatt, but also this place is named Hallstatt.

07:24After the South Korean soap opera Spring Waltz filmed some scenes in Hallstatt, Austria,

07:28interest in the town grew across Asia. The BBC suggests this may have been the reason China

07:33Min Metals Limited decided to construct a complete replica of the UNESCO World Heritage

07:37Site in the southern Guangdong Province. They copied the buildings, the town square,

07:41the beer garden, and even the parish church. The Chinese copy includes a replica of its clock tower

07:47and picturesque wooden houses. Though in this Hallstatt they use it as a reception hall instead

07:52of a place of worship. Opened in 2012, the replica town has 700 residents and is a major tourist

07:58attraction. When news of the project first broke, some of the villagers in Austria were upset.

08:05But since then, attitudes have softened.

08:08Number 2. Damanhur, Piedmont, Italy

08:10Above ground, this town, or technically this federation of independent communities in northern

08:15Italy is unconventional to say the least.

08:18With 600 citizens and the worldwide community, the Damanhurians have set up a new philosophical way of living.

08:25Established as an eco-village in 1975 by Oberto Arraudi and 12 friends, it was named after Damanhur in Egypt.

08:33Residents have adopted animal and plant names. There are different classes for citizens,

08:37and they have their own currency, the credito. But if you look below the surface, literally,

08:42you will find a network of underground temples dubbed the temples of humankind.

08:46These temples are considered to be the most sacred places in Damanhur.

08:50They are among the largest underground temples in the world,

08:53and the Italian government didn't even know they existed until 1992.

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09:19It's not just a mining town. It's a town largely built in mines.

09:27This South Australian settlement rose to fame as the opal capital of the world in the early 20th century.

09:32Roughly 70 opal mines still operate in the area, but residents have converted the abandoned tunnels

09:38into living spaces they call dugouts. Over half of Coober Pedy's roughly 1400 inhabitants live underground.

09:44Even the churches are on the down low.

09:47This isn't a rustic existence. There are underground homes with all the modern creature comforts you'd expect,

09:52plus ventilation shafts. In fact, they're quite a bit more comfortable in the summer,

09:56where temperatures on the surface can rise to 127 degrees Fahrenheit.

10:01You'll never live in a house again. You never need heating. You never need cooling.

10:05Home renovations can also be profitable rather than costly, as you might just find some opal in the walls.

10:11And it's fabulous. I would never swap. Never.

10:16What do you think of our list? Have you been to any of these places or know of a more bizarre town?

10:20Let us know in the comments.

10:21Here, an upside-down life is normal.

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