Amazing Architectural Optic Illusions You Won't Believe

The Wave Building

Have you ever looked at something underwater? That's what the side of this insane building looks like—but the building isn't actually melting. This is an incredibly detailed mural on the side of a normal building. The artist wanted to make it look as realistic as possible, and he did a pretty amazing job, since it looks like the building is getting sucked into a black hole or something. This building is located in Paris, where the realistic yet illusory art style is called Trompe-l'oeil, “trick of the eye.” A trick it is indeed. It makes you wonder how many traffic accidents have occurred around the vicinity of that building! Tourists who aren't aware of it are probably in for a pretty amazing surprise.

The Warped Building

Unlike the last building, which achieves its optical illusion with a highly detailed mural, this building in Prague, the Czech Republic, is entirely, one hundred percent real. It really does look like it's “warping” or contorting. And the really cool thing about this one is that all those windows you see lead to actual apartments where people live! Could you imagine renting an apartment in a building like that? You certainly wouldn't have any trouble giving your guests directions to your place—who could forget seeing a building like that?

The Cafe Wall Building

You've probably seen this optical illusion before—black and white squares and the gray lines that appear to be zig-zagging, when in reality, they're actually parallel. For real. It's called the cafe wall illusion, or if you want to get classy, the Munsterberg illusion. This building is located in Australia, where one crazy architect decided to try and make what is, undoubtedly, the largest version of this illusion in the world. Not only that, but the illusion is on all four sides of the building, and it definitely works. Very impressive.