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Bored Panda

Ilona Baliūnaitė

“Bread-Shaped Bread Factory”: 35 Structures So Odd They Could Be AI-Generated

Fish United States

Let your weird light shine bright so that the other weirdos know where to find you... That's what comes to mind when we think of some of the buildings people have dared to design and erect. Often, it's not even a case of thinking outside the box. But rather, destroying the box completely and creating a whole, new, never-seen-before, architectural shape.

Think India's National Board of Fisheries headquarter building, which is shaped like... a fish. Or the St. James Quarter in Edinburgh, Scotland, nicknamed the Golden Turd... we'll leave you to figure out why. These are just a few of the unique structures around the world that have people stopping in their tracks and doing double or triple-takes, just to make sure their eyes aren't deceiving them.

Someone recently asked, "What's a weird or funny building in your country?" and the replies came rolling in faster than tractors on a construction site. Some structures are mind-blowingly creative, others are plain bizarre. All are proof that the planet we live on is anything but vanilla.

Bored Panda has put together a list of our favorites for you to scroll through while you plan your next sight-seeing adventure. Let us know which ones you find the most interesting by hitting the upvote button.

#1 This Is The Headquarters Of The National Fisheries Development Board (Nfdb) In Hyderabad, India. This Building Is Just So Weird And Funny

The world would be so boring if everything and everyone was exactly alike. Thankfully, when it comes to building design, the sky is the limit... At least, in many places around the world.

China made headlines in 2016, after announcing that the government planned to ban "bizarre" and "odd-shaped" buildings. Ironically, the country was at the forefront of unique architecture, and was home to some of the wildest buildings in the world.

#2 France, The "Palais IDéal", Built By A Single Mail Carrier On His Spare Time, With Odd Rocks That He Found In The Paths

#3 This Is The Last Remaining Example Of The Original Shell Gas Stations. It's Located In Winston Salem, NC

#4 The Kindergarten "Katze" (Cat) In Karlsruhe-Wolfartsweier, Germany. Right Over The Left Paw Two Small Windows At A Yellow House Can Be Seen. That Once Was My Bedroom

#5 At No Surprise To Anyone, New Zealand Has Sheep Lmao

#6 USA. It's The Headquarters Of A Company That Makes These Types Of Baskets

#7 United Kingdom. This Is A Private House That Has A Shark In The Roof

#8 France

In the 1970s and 80s, the French government wanted to strengthen swimming instruction. This required building many swimming pools. A model was developed and almost 200 were replicated throughout France. These pools look like flying saucers (and they can partially open). Weird but a bit cool, I think.

#9 Taiwan Has A Bread Shaped Bread Factory

#10 Canada. The Gooderham Building In Toronto Is Fun!

#11 The Warped House, Poland

#12 Australia. He Is Beloved Tho!!

#13 Appartment Building In Amsterdam

#14 Hotel In Zaanstad (Nethwrlands) Lots Of Traditional Shapes Of Dutch Houses Together

#15 Scotland. The St James Quarter In Edinburgh, Affectionately Nicknamed 'The Golden Turd' For Obvious Reasons

#16 Czech Republic. The Dancing House, Prague

It resembles a dancing pair (the man on the right, the woman on the left) Photo By Danny Alexander Lettkemann, Architekt, CC BY-SA 4.0.

#17 South Korea. The Cafe’s Name Is Literally ‘Grasshopper Cafe’, Located In Jeongseon, Gangwon Province

#18 Italy. The Church Tower Of A Flooded Village

#19 Australia. I Would Say It’s This Hotel Shaped Like A Crocodile In Kakadu, Nt

#20 The Atomium, An Iron Atom 165 Billion Times The Size Of A Real Iron Atom. Belgium

#21 This Is A Museum In The City Of Niterói, State Of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

#22 Church In The Shape Of Chicken, Indonesia

#23 USA. This Dinosaur Is A Gift Shop, In California

#24 There Are A Few, But The One That's Truly Whimsical And Witty In My Opinion Is Casa Orgánica, In Naucalpan. (State Of Mexico, Not Mexico City)

#25 The Shoe House In Lancaster, PA USA!

#26 Taiwan

Temple of the 18 Lords which boasts the “worlds biggest dog statue”, you walk in through its butt and go up stairs until you can look out of it from a platform inside sorta like the Statue of Liberty. But the door was sealed shut a few years back

#27 Crocodile Stadium, Bursa, Turkiye

#28 There’s A Guy In Colorado Who Spent Some 40 Odd Years Building A Castle

#29 Us. Saw This One In New York

#30 Toad Museum, Thailand

#31 Elephant Building Bangkok

#32 Los Angeles, It Has To Be The Walt Disney Concert Hall

Designed by Frank Gehry. Personally not a fan of his architectural works, and I don’t personally like it but it makes for a good statement piece. Close seconds are The Broad Museum and Petersen Automotive Museum.