Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Castillo Echauri

Discover Castillo Echauri in Vista Alegre, Paraguay: In the middle of a sleepy Paraguayan village, a more than 20-meter-tall medieval castle protrudes into the air.

Jesuit Mission of Jesús de Tavarangüe

Discover Jesuit Mission of Jesús de Tavarangüe in Jesús de Tavarangue, Paraguay: These spectacular ruins were built by Spanish padres in the 17th century.

Monumento la Carreta

Discover Monumento la Carreta in Montevideo, Uruguay: An epic sculpture depicting a wagon and straining oxen.

Plaza de Toros

Discover Plaza de Toros in Colonia Del Sacramento, Uruguay: Abandoned bull fighting ring, slowly falling apart in Uruguay.

Palacio Salvo

Discover Palacio Salvo in Montevideo, Uruguay: The design of the Palacio Salvo has been described as "a lighthouse on top of a building.".

Puente Laguna Garzón

Discover Puente Laguna Garzón in Maldonado, Uruguay: Because sometimes the most efficient route from A to B isn't a straight line.

Vlindertuin

Discover Vlindertuin in Knokke-Heist, Belgium: A garden of flying flowers.

Schedelhof

Discover Schedelhof in Herentals, Belgium: This impressive collection of skulls and bones was gathered by an ex-zookeeper who took advantage of a pig plague.

Dadipark

Discover Dadipark in Moorslede, Belgium: This Belgian theme park began as a refuge for bored church children and was closed down when a boy lost an arm.

Jacques Chocolate Museum

Discover Jacques Chocolate Museum in Eupen, Belgium: Museum covers every step of the chocolate-making process, from cultivation to the finished product.

Sandworm

Discover Sandworm in De Haan, Belgium: An undulating wicker beast looms peacefully atop a sand dune in Belgium.

The Grottoes of Folx-les-Caves

Discover The Grottoes of Folx-les-Caves in Orp-Jauche, Belgium: Ancient man-made caves underneath small town Belgium.

Giant Clothespin Sculpture

Discover Giant Clothespin Sculpture in Chaudfontaine, Belgium: Sculpture designed by Turkish artist and professor Mehmet Ali Uysal.

Power Plant IM

Discover Power Plant IM in Charleroi, Belgium: The vast chamber inside this abandoned cooling tower looks like something out of a sci-fi dystopia.

Heilige Geestcollege

Discover Heilige Geestcollege in Leuven, Belgium: Where George Lemaître discovered the expanding nature of the universe.

Leuven Historical Measures

Discover Leuven Historical Measures in Leuven, Belgium: Though they might seem like arbitrary scratches in the wall, these were once official measures of length.

Brian Johnson Statue

Discover Brian Johnson Statue in Namur, Belgium: Forget the hearse ‘cause he’s forever immortalized in a Belgian city where AC/DC performed a secret gig that pushed them forward.

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i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 261 ii
To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design. 480 iii
To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared. 514 iv
To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history. 642 ix
To be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals. 137 v
To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change. 172 vi
To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria). 256 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 151 viii
To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features. 98 x
To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation. 168

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