Atlas Obscura found 13 places that have cannonballs stuck in them

Enjoy Atlas Obscura's list featuring 13 places that have cannonballs stuck in them. Usually, when a cannonball is launched it will destroy the area of the building that it hits. There have been many instances, though, where the cannon ball becomes lodged in its target instead. The places on this list have been preserved over time. You can visit them and their balls.

The sources of these abandoned balls vary—launched by Napoleon's army, say, or the Union forces. In some cases, their origin remains a mystery. Some are far less nefarious, like the one intentionally embedded in the side of an Edinburgh house to mark the level of water reservoirs. Whatever the reason for their existence, we've rounded up 13 unlikely places with cannonballs stuck in them.

In Delaware, you can visit The Cannonball House, a historic home that was hit by a cannonball in 1813  During the Bombardment of Lewes. Visitors can now tour the house, which is  managed by the Lewes Historical Society. In Brussels, Belgium, you can see a cannonball that has been stuck in the wall of the St. Nicholas Church since 1695. At the Hotel de Sens in Paris, you can see a cannonball from 1830 stuck high up on the eastern side of the building. The list includes many other locations from around the world to see historic buildings with cannonballs lodged in them, and they all look like interesting places to visit.

See also: Cannonball floating in mercury