Archives: Atlas Obscuras

‘Wall of Frogs’

Discover 'Wall of Frogs' in Santa Barbara, California: A unique local art exhibit that has continued to grow since 1989.

Lake Amadeus

Discover Lake Amadeus in Petermann, Australia: This large lake in Central Australia contains an estimated 600 million tons of salt.

Passticeria il Boccione

Discover Passticeria il Boccione in Rome, Italy: In Rome’s Jewish ghetto, a 200-year-old bakery still makes the neighborhood’s historic sweets.

Gran Telescopio Canarias

Discover Gran Telescopio Canarias in Gallegos, Spain: The world's largest single-aperture telescope resides in the Canary Islands.

Nike Centre for Art and Culture

Discover Nike Centre for Art and Culture in Lekki, Nigeria: Not your average art gallery, this massive center hosts 8,000 works from artists across Africa—and it’s free to the public.

‘Plastic Mero’

Discover 'Plastic Mero' in Funchal, Portugal: Crafted from ocean litter, this sculpture highlights the ills of overconsumption.

Rönnäs Archipelago Museum

Discover Rönnäs Archipelago Museum in Isnäs, Finland: Home to the finest collection of peasant boats in Finland.

Walleye Up Statue

Discover Walleye Up Statue in Mobridge, South Dakota: An ode to South Dakota's state fish.

Irwell Sculpture Trail

Discover Irwell Sculpture Trail in Salford, England: The longest sculpture trail in the United Kingdom.

The Oakdale School

Discover The Oakdale School in Purcellville, Virginia: The oldest existing one-room brick schoolhouse in Loudoun County.

Zapata Falls

Discover Zapata Falls in Alamosa County, Colorado: A short but powerful waterfall resides amid Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes.

Transparent Restroom

Discover Transparent Restroom in Tokyo, Japan: These unique toilets feature transparent glass covered in PDLC film.

The Flying Nun

Discover The Flying Nun in Budapest, Hungary: The true meaning behind this sculpture remains unknown.

Ruggles Mine

Discover Ruggles Mine in Grafton, New Hampshire: Generations of rockhounds got their start at this beloved, historic mine.

United Memorial Gardens

Discover United Memorial Gardens in Plymouth, Michigan: In addition to the usual gravestones, this Michigan cemetery features a birdhouse mausoleum and an Ark of the Covenant replica.

Silver Peak

Discover Silver Peak in Silver Peak, Nevada: The precious-metals strikes dating back to the 1860s are now mostly inactive, but this area has become the United States' only domestic source of lithium.

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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

PP ToS