Archives: Atlas Obscuras

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.

‘Primeval Atom’

Discover 'Primeval Atom' in Leuven, Belgium: An installation that makes understanding the size of the universe a walk in the park.

Jeanne Dielman Mural

Discover Jeanne Dielman Mural in Brussels, Belgium: A mural recalls a fictional woman who once lived at 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Brussels.

Birthplace of Audrey Hepburn

Discover Birthplace of Audrey Hepburn in Brussels, Belgium: One of Hollywood's most iconic actresses was born in an upscale Brussels neighborhood in 1929.

Museum voor Dierkunde

Discover Museum voor Dierkunde in Leuven, Belgium: This 19th-century zoological collection has withstood the test of time.

Le Caillou-qui-bique

Discover Le Caillou-qui-bique in Honnelles, Belgium: Local lore surrounds this unusual stone.

Tilleul de Gérouville

Discover Tilleul de Gérouville in Gérouville, Belgium: A 600-year-old elm tree with a built-in seat and thatched roof.

Hôtel Solvay

Discover Hôtel Solvay in Brussels, Belgium: This historic Art Nouveau townhouse was the former home of the son of a famous chemical inventor and industrialist.

Nike Laakdal Wind Park

Discover Nike Laakdal Wind Park in Laakdal, Belgium: Six turbines towering over a wide road for passersby.

Menu

i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 260 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. 474 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. 499 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. 633 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. 135 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. 167 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). 252 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 148 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. 96 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. 166

PP ToS