During the time of Hitler’s rise to power and the ensuing Holocaust, Jews and other targeted people faced oppression, deportation, and death. People fleeing these circumstances had few options. Many countries were reluctant to welcome the hordes of refugees who had been displaced from their homes. Few nations eased their immigration quotas or made any substantial effort to help.

While the majority of the world remained hands-off, there were villages, cities, and countries that protected their at-risk neighbors and welcomed those seeking asylum. In these places, refugees were allowed to worship freely and conduct business. Most importantly, they were saved from being sent to concentration camps, where they would have endured starvation, brutality, and, often, death.

Here are ten places where refugees found respite from the horrors of the Holocaust.

10 Sosua

By 1938, Hitler’s regime had driven hundreds of thousands of Jews from their homes and countries. President Roosevelt requested an international conference to discuss options for handling the vast number of refugees. Representatives from 32 countries met in Evian, France, for nine days. Nearly every delegate spoke of sympathy for the refugees. However, they did not offer assistance beyond filling their current immigration quotas or permitting nominal numbers of additional visas. This was during the Great Depression, and a lack of resources and funds was commonly given as an excuse for declining to help.

The only country to make a significant offer of assistance was the Dominican Republic. Dictator Rafael Trujillo pledged to accept up to 100,000 refugees. Trujillo’s reasons for doing so were not entirely altruistic. It has been said that he only agreed to accept refugees in order to receive the associated financial aid. In addition, Trujillo was seeking to improve his international reputation after slaughtering thousands of Haitians. Finally, Trujillo planned to “whiten” up his country by encouraging black natives to marry light-skinned refugees.

Regardless of Trujillo’s motives, Sosua became home to hundreds of people with nowhere to go. Transportation from Europe to the Caribbean was difficult during the war, so only about 800 refugees actually arrived in the Dominican Republic. The majority of them were settled in the undeveloped coastal town of Sosua. Each refugee received a small parcel of land and some livestock. For many, life in Sosua was an adjustment—and not just because they were in a new country. Former businessmen and doctors had to learn how to make a living in agriculture. But they learned and adapted to their new life. Sosua became a community, with a synagogue for worship and a school for the children.^[1]

9 Bolivia

More than 20,000 Jewish refugees fled to Bolivia between 1938 and 1941. Mauricio Hochschild was largely responsible for the number of visas issued to Jews fleeing the Holocaust. Hochschild was a tin mining tycoon with a reputation for exploiting his workers and evading taxes. But before moving to Bolivia, Hochschild had once been a Jew living in Germany. When he learned what was happening in his former country, he sought to save as many Jewish refugees as he could.

Hochschild’s success as an entrepreneur had given him political ties. He had a friendship with German Busch, Bolivia’s military president at the time. Hochschild convinced Busch that admitting Jews would be a good way to grow Bolivia’s labor force. Hochschild himself covered the costs of travel for more than 9,000 refugees. The Jews arrived by boat in Chile and then rode a train to La Paz, Bolivia. They were arriving so regularly that the train became known as the “Jewish Express.” Hochschild provided the refugees with housing and set them up with jobs in his workforce. He also financially supported a school for the Jewish children.

After Hochschild’s role in helping the refugees was discovered, he became known as the “Bolivian Schindler.”^[2]

8 Haiti

A little-known place that took in refugees during the Holocaust is the small nation of Haiti.

At the Evian conference, Haiti’s diplomat offered to accept up to 50,000 Jewish refugees. The proposal was rejected, but Haitian diplomats throughout Europe issued as many visas as they could. An estimated 300 Jews were able to make the long journey to the Caribbean nation, and they were welcomed upon their arrival. The Haitian people had experienced their own share of persecution and suffering at the hands of others and were sympathetic toward the Jewish refugees.^[3]

Some of the Jewish refugees who arrived in Haiti remained there and made it their home. But for many, it was a Nazi-free place for them to await the approval of their US immigration papers. Their stay in Haiti was brief, but they were incredibly grateful to the country and its people for giving them a safe stopover on their journey.

7 Shanghai

Prior to and during World War II, many countries closed their borders to the thousands of refugees fleeing their homes. One exception was Shanghai, where foreigners could enter without visas or even passports. Approximately 17,000 Jewish refugees made their way to the port city.

Shanghai was far from Utopia. It was overcrowded, with people living on top of one another. Refugees with financial means housed themselves in run-down buildings, while the destitute were put up in barracks. But the European Jews persisted, doing whatever they could to make ends meet. Some found success running bakeries, cafes, or shops, while others worked as builders, teachers, or doctors.^[4]

When Shanghai became occupied by the Japanese, life changed again for the refugees. The Jews were confined to a designated area in the Hongkou district, which became known as the Shanghai Ghetto. Clothing and food were in short supply, and disease and fear ran rampant. Yet social events and religious services still took place, and children were allowed day passes out of the ghetto to continue their schooling.

Despite the hardships faced by the Shanghai refugees, they fared far better than they would have in Europe. The Japanese oppressed the Jews, but they did not seek to systematically exterminate them. They ignored the “final solution” proposed by the Nazis, which consisted of gathering the Shanghai Jews and either sending them to gas chambers or loading them onto barges in which they would drift off and die of starvation.

The Shanghai Jews did not discover the horrors that took place in Europe until after the war ended. The majority of them had survived, and when they realized the slaughter they had escaped, they were simultaneously filled with relief and guilt.

6 Sweden

Sweden remained officially neutral during World War II, but they appeared to favor the Germans early on. German troops were granted passage through Sweden, and the nation provided the Germans with iron ore during the war. Like many countries, Sweden severely restricted the immigration of Jewish refugees. But after the truth of what the Nazis were doing came to light, Sweden’s stance shifted. The country opened its borders and became a sanctuary for thousands of refugees.

Denmark was occupied by Germany in 1940, but the Danish government negotiated to retain a certain amount of power and protect their Jewish population. This arrangement held until 1943, when increasing unrest from the Danish resistance caused Germany to threaten the Danish government. The Danish government resigned in protest. With the Danish Jews no longer protected by their government, Hitler ordered all of them to be sent to concentration camps. A German diplomat alerted a leader in the Danish resistance of the impending deportation. Throughout the country, neighbors and strangers alike helped hustle more than 7,500 Jews to the coast. From there, they were shuttled across the narrow channel and into Sweden. The refugees remained there safely for the remaining 19 months that Germany occupied Denmark.^[5]

In addition to granting asylum to nearly the entire population of Danish Jews, Sweden also took in approximately 900 Norwegian Jews facing deportation. Sweden’s own Jewish population of 7,000 were protected by the country’s neutrality.

5 Ecuador

Prior to Hitler’s rise and World War II, Ecuador had a Jewish population of fewer than 20 people. Between 1933 and 1943, 2,700 Jews found refuge in the South American nation.^[6]

In Ecuador, the refugees were expected to work in agriculture. For accountants and dentists, this lifestyle was new and did not prove to be a success. Many Jews struggled to find a new way to make a living, attempting various crafts and trades. Sixty families were settled on established chicken farms, but they all ultimately failed. Furniture-building was a popular source of income, and the refugees were the first to introduce steel and iron pieces to the Ecuadorian market.

Adapting to a new country came with many challenges, but some of the refugees thrived, starting businesses that still exist today.

4 Zakynthos

Zakynthos is a Greek island located in the Ionian Sea. During the Holocaust, it had a population of 275 Jews. They were protected by Chrysostomos Demetriou, the bishop of Zakynthos, and Loukas Karrer, the mayor.

German commander Berenz and his forces arrived on the island of Zakynthos in October 1943. Berenz met with Mayor Karrer and Bishop Chrysostomos and informed them that all Jews living on the island must adhere to a strict curfew and identify themselves with a sign on their door. The bishop argued that the Jews were a part of the island’s community and should not be mistreated. Berenz told the two men that regardless, the Jews will eventually be deported. The people of Zakynthos, including the mayor and bishop, were aware of the death camps and what deportation ultimately led to.

Mayor Karrer warned the Jews, who were then sheltered in Christian homes throughout the island. Berenz summoned Mayor Karrer again in October 1944. This time, the German commander ordered Mayor Karrer to provide a list of all Jews in Zakynthos within 24 hours, under threat of his own life.

Mayor Karrer conferred with Bishop Chrysostomos. The next day, the two men presented Berenz with a list that contained merely their own names. The bishop also gave Berenz a letter addressed to Hitler, stating that the Jews of Zakynthos were under his protection. Berenz sent both documents to the German High Command in Berlin and requested guidance on how to handle the situation. The order to deport the Zakynthos Jews was revoked, and the German forces left the island. All 275 Zakynthos Jews survived.^[7]

3 Philippines

Between 1937 and 1941, approximately 1,200 Jews fled to the Philippines. Many came from Austria and Germany, pushed out of their countries by increasingly harsh anti-Semitic policies.

At the time, the nation of islands was the Commonwealth of the Philippines. The Asian country was in a transitory period from American rule to independence, and foreign policy was still controlled by the United States. Manuel Quezon, the commonwealth president, sought to welcome as many Jewish refugees as possible. The US would not issue visas to anyone in need of financial assistance, so Quezon planned to bring 10,000 skilled refugees to his shores. He arranged for doctors, accountants, a rabbi, and even a conductor to enter the country.

The European Jews experienced culture shock in the Philippines. The weather, food, and language were all very different than what they were accustomed to. But the Filipinos were welcoming, and the refugees were able to live freely.

The stream of refugees was interrupted when the Japanese invaded in 1941. Those who had been safe were suddenly on the front lines of the war. But the Japanese forces did not share Hitler’s agenda of exterminating the Jews. Instead, those with German passports were seen as allies. The European Jews were left alone, while Filipinos and Americans were imprisoned. Life was still hard for the refugees, as the islands became battlefields. Bombs dropped regularly, land mines were abundant, and the body count continued to rise. Yet many Jews survived the war and remained grateful that their time in the Philippines kept them out of the concentration camps in Europe.^[8]

2 Llanwrtyd Wells

During the Holocaust, more than 130 Czechoslovakian Jewish children were kept happy and safe in a tiny town in Wales. The residents of Llanwrtyd Wells were unaccustomed to foreigners. But when the children arrived, transported by one of Nicholas Winton’s trains, the town welcomed them with open arms.

A local hotel became a Czechoslovakian boarding school for the children. Most of them were unaware of the horrors their parents faced in their home country. The kids lived relatively normal lives, studying in school and playing games on the playground. Since the Jewish children were without their parents, the local residents cared for and looked after them. One shop owner drove the kids to sporting events on the weekends. One of the little girls, now grown, remembers the time as one of the happiest in her life.

After the war ended, many of the Czech children learned that their parents had perished. The kids left the small town to either reunite with surviving relatives or move on with their lives. But as adults, they returned to Llanwrtyd Wells to pay tribute to the town that sheltered them during the Holocaust.^[9]

1 Le Chambon-Sur-Lignon

Many individual heroic efforts to help refugees were made during the Holocaust. But in the mountains of Southern France, an entire region worked together to protect those fleeing the Nazis. Le Chambon-sur-Lignon and its surrounding villages sheltered thousands of refugees during the Holocaust. An estimated 3,500 of them were Jews, mainly children, while the rest were Spanish Republicans, anti-Nazi Germans, and members of the French resistance.

The residents in the Protestant region were strongly opposed to Hitler’s message of anti-Semitism. Their people had suffered persecution from the Catholic Church, and they did not wish to see another group of people being punished for their culture. A local pastor knew a Quaker who was able to negotiate the release of Jewish children from internment camps in Southern France. When the Quaker mentioned that the children had nowhere to go, the pastor immediately offered to find homes for them in Le Chambon. The town and surrounding communities all pitched in to welcome the Jewish children into their homes and provide them with food, clothing, and forged papers.

Additional refugees made their own way to the region after word of mouth began to spread that Le Chambon was a safe place for Jews and anyone fleeing the Nazis. Local residents hid the refugees in plain sight, helping them blend in and appear as if they belonged. Some refugees were sheltered during the entire war in the remote villages, while others were taken to the Swiss border and smuggled out of the country.

Thanks to the collective efforts of the region, an estimated 5,000 refugees survived.^[10]

Dolls, figurines, or puppets have fascinated humans for millennia. Our minds can conjure them up into anything, just like our hands can fashion them out of anything. For some, this imaginary manifestation has become a legitimate fear. Experts refer to it as automatonophobia, which is a fear of objects possessing humanoid features.

Why they frighten us is anyone’s guess.^[1] Suggestions range from evolutionary, which is our primordial instinct to recognize and react to faces, to socially reinforced through movies and media. Regardless, it’s fair to assume that dolls—without meaning to—mean a lot.

So, we’ve compiled a list of doll, sculpture, and puppet sanctuaries from around the globe that are known to send visitors’ instincts into a tailspin. Although this list is not exhaustive, it’s a creepy start. And, many of these are open to the public, so go have a look and let us know what you think.

Related: 10 Peculiar Museums You Must See To Believe

10 Island of the Dolls, Mexico

Squeezed between the channels of Xochimilco south of Mexico’s capital is a patch of farmland that has sowed its name in the ghostly legends. Known locally as Isla de las Munecas (Island of Dolls), its sprout to notoriety is disturbing and tragic. It all began in 1950 when a man named Julian Barrera left his wife and young daughter to live as a recluse on the island. While there, Julian came across the body of an unknown young girl floating in the canal. Also floating in the water was a doll that Julian assumed belonged to the girl, which he hung from a nearby tree, making sure it faced where he had found the body. Numerous versions abound of what prompted Julian to perform this peculiar ritual, but everyone agrees he never stopped.

Following the incident, he was seen obsessively scouring the canals and trash heaps for discarded dolls until his bizarre collection grew from one to hundreds. Julian hung his cherished assemblage across the island in whatever condition he’d found them in. As a result, many are visibly damaged, missing a head or limb, some without an eye or two altogether. Furthermore, due to exposure, the dolls have become more decrepit, amplifying their spine-chilling aura. Unsurprisingly, visitors to the island often report paranormal activity. Some claim if you listen closely, you can hear the dolls whisper to each other.

In 2001, Julian’s body was discovered in the canal. The official cause of death was a heart attack, although legend insists that Julian was found at the exact spot where he had found the girl’s body.^[2]

9 Stare Into the History of Dummies, USA

Belly speakers! That is what the ancient Romans called ventriloquists. Like us, their ability to appear to have voices emanating from inside their stomachs fascinated them. However, unlike us, the ancients believed the voices belonged to the dead, who had taken residence in the ventriloquist’s gut to communicate with the living. Therefore, ventriloquism served to channel the world of the dead. This was their status until the rise of Christianity, when it was deemed witchcraft and outlawed. It was only during the 18th century that it evolved from its haunting origins to the comedic form we know today.

The Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, is the only place in the world where this turbulent history of ventriloquism is displayed. William Shakespeare Berger founded the museum in 1973, and it houses all things ventriloquist sourced from around the world. It is the permanent home for authentic dummies used by icons like Jeff Dunham, Jay Johnson, and Willie Tyler. It also has replicas of other luminaries such as Edgar Bergen, Shari Lewis, and Bozo the Clown. Puppet depictions of U.S. presidents ranging from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush also feature in the collection. The museum has around 900 dummies in total.

If having glassy eyes following you around isn’t daunting, Vent Haven has seasonal openings each year where customers can even adopt a dummy for a year for $50.^[3]

8 An Abandoned Park of Statues, Japan

The Hidden Village of Statues in Japan’s Toyama prefecture is a perfect example of how a thoughtful idea can backfire eerily.

Back in 1989, Mutsuo Furukawa set out to create a serene park where people could meditate and unwind, away from the bustle of modern-day Japan. Besides trees and flowers, his park would feature life-sized busts of people. He commissioned over 800 of them in the likeness of his friends, family, and coworkers. Others depict local legends, historical figures, and Buddhist icons. Furukawa’s dream came true for a time. After he died in 2012, the park fell into disrepair and was consumed by vegetation. Then, in 2016, its rediscovery by a local photographer sparked tourist attention for reasons that are the exact opposite of what he intended.

Now run by volunteers, it has been dubbed Fureai Sekibutsu no Sato, which translates to “Village where you can meet Buddhist statues.” Locals avoid it because they believe the sculptures come to life at night. Meanwhile, thousands of visitors throng to the grounds each year. Many describe the experience as feeling like you’ve wandered into a forbidden zone. Curiously, during a full moon, the shadows cast by the statues create the impression that you are being followed. For the time being, it’s fair to say that only the statues can unwind calmly after a long day’s work in this park.^[4]

7 Another Abandoned Park of Statues, Italy

In 1547, following a series of tragic incidents in his personal life that culminated in the death of his wife, Prince Pier Francesco Orsini commissioned a creation of wonder to channel his grief. The result was the Bomarzo Gardens in Italy. This woodland enclave located near Viterbo and designed by Pirro Ligorio was initially called the Sacred Grove, but later locals renamed it Monsters’ Grove. For generations, visitors have been stunned by the numerous larger-than-life sculptures that adorn these otherwise lonely woods. Among them are an elephant mauling a Roman legionnaire, a giant tearing another in half, and the showstopper—a colossal screaming head of Orcus, the deity of the underworld in Roman mythology.

The Park of the Monsters has influenced several works, most notably Salvador Dali’s The Temptation of Saint Anthony. Others, including the poet André Pieyre de Mandiargues, have written essays about it. Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden (a serious contender for a spot on this list) was similarly inspired by the Bomarzo Garden.

After a brief period of abandonment, the sculptures re-captured the world’s attention when, in the 1950s, Salvador Dali documented a short film about the park. The result was a restoration program that converted it to the popular destination it is today.^[5]

6 Spend a Night With Clowns, USA

Cursed motels, along with evil clowns and haunted graveyards, are recurring themes in horror films. So it should come as no surprise that blending this trio is not for the faint of heart. Enter Tonopah’s Clown Motel in Nevada. Nicknamed “America’s Scariest Motel,” it was built in 1985 as a memorial to Clarence David, a self-described clown enthusiast. It is home to over 2,000 clowns from around the world, intended to give you the jitters. Not to worry, owners guarantee that a few of these prospective roommates are actually “happy clowns.”

The Clown motel also sits next to the Old Tonopah Cemetery, which adds to the ambiance. Clarence, whose work inspired the motel, is buried here, as are many of the miners who perished in the Tonopah-Belmont Mine Fire disaster of 1911. Combined with the graveyard’s long-standing ghostly allegations of its own, it’s no surprise that reports of paranormal activity are rife. Among them is a once-famous local joker who continues to play pranks on the unsuspecting from beyond the grave.

We cannot vouch for the existence of “happy clowns” in case you happen to spend the night at Clown Motel; as for ghosts, their misty reputation for veracity still eludes us.^[6]

5 Abandoned Dolls of Chernobyl, Ukraine

Shortly after midnight on April 26, 1986, the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, in what was then the USSR, fried itself into the world’s worst nuclear disaster. As radioactive particles seeped into the air, Soviet authorities ordered immediate evacuations of all settlements near the facility. The town of Pripyat came under this zone, and as a result, it was closed to the public and designated a restricted area. However, it is now teeming with disaster tourists.

Following Pripyat’s hasty evacuation, a considerable chunk of it appears to have remained undisturbed, serving as a major lure for visitors. Abandoned dolls are a common sight among the rust and crumble. They’re strewn about everywhere, some sleeping on hospital beds, some in parks wearing gas masks, while others appear to be hiding in schools. Contrary to popular belief, most of these dolls aren’t lying around where they were dropped in the ensuing evacuation. Tourists have been known to move the dolls around and pose them for a perfect photograph, and some have even smuggled in their own. We hope the likes were worth it, given that visitors are advised not to touch anything within the exclusion zone.^[7]

4 A Village Resurrected Back to Life, Japan

Japan’s population is shrinking fast due to low fertility rates. Particularly hard hit in the crisis are rural areas, where entire communities are abandoned in favor of the urban regions. Nagoro, a village nestled on the slopes of Mount Miune, is one such community. Once a bustling village, it has transformed into a ghost town.

Tsukimi Ayano’s return to Nagoro in the early 2000s brought her face to face with this reality. As a young woman, Ayano had moved from Nagoro to Osaka, where she worked before returning to enjoy her retirement. Instead of familiar and friendly faces, she was greeted with a sea of emptiness. It was in this void that Ayano’s vision for Nagoro’s regeneration emerged: Life-sized dolls!

Ayano’s dolls, made of straw, newspaper, and wood, are unlike any other. They are meant to represent former residents who have either moved away or died. Each doll is meticulously crafted to mimic a specific facial expression, retain their own story or personality, and are usually dressed in clothes and accessories that once belonged to the person they represent.

Ayano’s vision to repopulate Nagoro appears to have come true. The number of her new “residents” has surpassed that of humans by tenfold. Aside from that, human activity has resumed in the village as well. Construction workers carrying out maintenance, commuters crowding at a bus stop, or students waiting for class to begin, are just a few examples of people frozen in time in Nagoro.^[8]

3 The Possum Trot, USA

Calvin Black met Ruby while working for a circus in Georgia, and the couple married in 1953. That same year, they relocated to Yermo, California, hoping that a climate change would be good for Calvin’s health. To make ends meet in the heart of the Mojave Desert in California, the couple opened the Possum Trot, a refreshment stop along Highway 15. Visitors to the shop were met by various handmade art forms, including small-scale windmills, stagecoaches, trains, and over 80 handcrafted, nearly life-size dolls.

Their dolls, the majority of which are female, were inspired by and named after friends and other famous women throughout history. Before crafting one, they pondered the doll’s persona, even down to the hair type, eye color, and sense of style. The dolls’ faces were made of redwood taken from electrical power poles knocked down in car accidents. The abdomen was made of sugar pine, while the other trimmings, such as wigs and garments, were salvaged from dumps. To top it all off, the dolls could interact with stunned customers via built-in speakers.

Calvin died in 1972, and before his death, he requested that his creation be burned down, but this did not happen. Possum Trot was dismantled after Ruby’s death in 1980, and most of their artforms were sold. Michael Hall, an art collector, amassed the largest surviving collection of the dolls and other original materials. He donated his collection to the Milwaukee Art Museum in 1989, where Miss Ripple, Helen Marvel, Little Red Riding Hood, and other dolls are still on display.^[9]

2 Pray With Ghosts, Czech Republic

Lukova’s St. George Church has had its share of mishaps over the years. Accidents have forced it to be rebuilt multiple times since it was first constructed in the 14th century. When a piece of the roof fell during a funeral service in 1968, the locals had had enough. Believing it was cursed, the church was abandoned and left to rot.

In 2014, a caretaker took pity on the deteriorating structure and reached out to a local artist for help to bring it back to life. After some considerations, they realized that the only way to ensure St George’s bright future was to exploit its haunted past: ghosts. To create these ghostly creatures, the artist used plaster models of real people, draped them in shawls, and placed them in pews and other areas throughout the cathedral. The thirty or so ghosts are said to represent the spirits of Sudeten Germans who resided in the area before being expelled following WWII.

Naturally, news of ghosts praying silently in a haunted church spread like wildfire, attracting visitors eager to capture a photograph of a real one in action. With visitors came the funds needed to nurse St George back to life. Likewise, the locals appear to have re-embraced the church, and they eagerly join the ghosts in prayer every Sunday.^[10]

As the old saying goes, prayers do get answered in the end.

1 Walk Into a Personal Diary, Finland

The Parikkala Sculpture Garden in Finland appears to be your typical sculpture collection in a family backyard. Except that this backyard is home to nearly 500 concrete sculptures, the majority of which are life-sized, the work of one person. This collection was not intended for curious visitors to gawk at; rather, it is a personal diary depicting the artist’s hopes, hobbies, and fears, all cast in stone. Human sculptures are the most common subject matter, although other subjects are also featured.

Particularly striking is a cluster of over 200 statues, supposedly self-portraits, in various yoga poses. However, it’s their sinister stares that capture attention instead of the fact that they are supposed to be a memory of his young body. They range from blank to aggressive to blatant diabolic grins. Real human teeth can be seen in some of the statues’ smirks. Others have hidden speakers that make a walk through this backyard an unsettling experience.

A bit of a recluse, Veijo Rönkkönen, was the man behind it all. Before his untimely death in 2010, he occasionally let guests into his garden, only to communicate with them via notes. Rönkkönen refused to exhibit his work, despite numerous requests, instead preferring to bury it and leave it alone in silence. Today, however, as many as 30,000 people visit his backyard annually.^[11]

Oh, the human teeth were donated.