Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Vanadislunden Water Reservoir

Discover Vanadislunden Water Reservoir in Stockholm, Sweden: A water reservoir disguised as a castle stands atop a hill in a park in Stockholm city.

Kingshill Miners Memorial

Discover Kingshill Miners Memorial in Allanton, Scotland: A striking statue commemorates the men who worked underground in Kingshill and Allanton.

Shane Confectionery

Discover Shane Confectionery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Step into a pastel time capsule where candy is truly dandy.

Buffalo Soldiers Monument

Discover Buffalo Soldiers Monument in Junction City, Kansas: A monument celebrating the Black soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry.

Catedral de Santa Isabel

Discover Catedral de Santa Isabel in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea: The largest Christian church in the country is a complicated symbol of Spanish colonialism.

Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers

Discover Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers in Les Trois-Moutiers, France: A 2017 crowdfunding campaign saved this historic castle from being destroyed.

Leg o’ Mutton Reservoir and Park

Discover Leg o' Mutton Reservoir and Park in London, England: This unusually-named reservoir found a second life as a nature preserve.

National Bottle Museum

Discover National Bottle Museum in Ballston Spa, New York: Thousands of bottles that have held everything from poison to perfume make up the collection of this small museum.

Bruce’s Stone

Discover Bruce's Stone in Glentrool, Scotland: On a hill overlooking Loch Trool, a granite boulder marks the site where Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, defeated an English army.

Eagle Lake

Discover Eagle Lake in Spaulding, California: At the edge of the high desert, California's second-largest natural lake is home to a unique subspecies of trout adapted to its alkaline waters.

Sanquhar Castle

Discover Sanquhar Castle in Sanquhar, Scotland: A 13th-century stronghold that has fallen into ruin.

Monteverde Ficus Root Bridge

Discover Ficus La Raiz in Monteverde, Costa Rica: In Costa Rica's cloud forest, the roots of a woody ficus create a botanical bridge.

Martyrs’ Tomb Glen Trool

Discover Martyrs' Tomb Glen Trool in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland: A square stone tomb marks the spot where six men were killed while holding a service in Caldoris Wood.

Église Saint-Maurice de Mervans

Discover Église Saint-Maurice de Mervans in Mervans, France: Was the twisted roof on this church's belltower an intentional design or a happy accident?

The Monsters of Lake Bumbunga

Discover Lake Bumbunga in Lochiel, Australia: This salt lake in South Australia features seasonal color changes and its very own loch monster.

Barrett House

Discover Barrett House in Lorton, Virginia: A weathered, American Foursquare-style house originally built for lumber merchant William Wimsatt.

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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

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