Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Tom Rhodes Tree Carving Trail

Discover Tom Rhodes Tree Carving Trail in Warsaw, Virginia: A journey along this trail means indulging in a slice of nostalgia.

Al Balad

Discover Al Balad in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: For centuries, Jeddah’s old town was a major trading port and a point of entry for Hajj pilgrims traveling by sea.

Heisenberg’s Bathtub

Discover Heisenberg's Bathtub in Copenhagen, Denmark: Did he come up with a theory of cosmic-ray showers while sitting in this bath?

St Nicholas Church – Mavrovo

Discover St Nicholas Church – Mavrovo in Mavrovo, North Macedonia: Depending on the region's rainfall, this church may be partially submerged.

Virginia Musical Museum

Discover Virginia Musical Museum in Williamsburg, Virginia: Home to the organ played at General MacArthur's funeral.

Mt. Hollywood Tunnel

Discover Mt. Hollywood Tunnel in Los Angeles, California: This nondescript tunnel has been featured in dozens of films and TV shows.

Czech Stop & Little Czech Bakery

Discover Czech Stop & Little Czech Bakery in West, Texas: Some of the best pastries in "the Czech heritage capital of Texas" come from a gas station off I-35.

Transpeninsular Line Marker

Discover Transpeninsular Line Marker in Fenwick Isle, Delaware: A unique marker erected during the 18th-century.

Central Station Wagon Hoist

Discover Central Station Wagon Hoist in Leeds, England: This device was crucial to the Industrial Revolution development of Leeds.

Face Rock

Discover Face Rock in Bandon, Oregon: According to legend, this rock represents a young girl trapped by an evil ocean spirit.

Tobin Range (Pearce) Scarps

Discover Tobin Range (Pearce) Scarps in Winnemucca, Nevada: The strongest earthquake in Nevada's recorded history left these spectacular breaks along the west front of a range in central Nevada.

The Slave Port of Bimbia

Discover The Slave Port of Bimbia in Bimbia, Cameroon: Buried deep in the forest near Limbe, this little known slave port became the point of no return for 10 percent of enslaved Africans.

Elizabeth Blackwell’s Grave

Discover Elizabeth Blackwell's Grave in Kilmun, Scotland: The first woman in America to receive a medical degree.

Woodville School

Discover Woodville School in Gloucester, Virginia: One of the few remaining Rosenwald Schools left in Virginia.

‘The Walking Man’

Discover 'The Walking Man' in Annapolis, Maryland: A touching tribute to a local hero who made sure his neighborhood stayed clean.

Skater Girls Mailbox

Discover Skater Girls Mailbox in Bratislava, Slovakia: Although a work of public art, this sculpture is still very much a functioning mailbox.

Kamuy Kotan

Discover Kamuy Kotan in Asahikawa, Japan: The various potholes in this region are said to be the footprints of the evil Ninekamuy.

Northern Cattle Market Wall

Discover Northern Cattle Market Wall in Parkville, Australia: A unique reminder of the once-bustling cattle market during the 19th-century.

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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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