Archives: Atlas Obscuras

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.

Gregangelo Museum

Discover Gregangelo Museum in San Francisco, California: A 1920s home transformed into an immersive art experience, where every room is a portal to another realm.

Ohakune Carrot

Discover Ohakune Carrot in Ohakune, New Zealand: The largest model carrot in the world.

Kushtarajagala Statue

Discover Kushtarajagala Statue in Weligama, Sri Lanka: Does this 10-foot-tall statue carved into a rock face depict a king afflicted by a skin condition or a Buddhist figure?

Saint Croix Island National Historic Site

Discover Saint Croix Island National Historic Site in Calais, Maine: A shoreline exhibit describing the disastrous first attempt by the French to colonize North America.

East Broad Top Railroad

Discover East Broad Top Railroad in Rockhill, Pennsylvania: Catch a ride through the Pennsylvania countryside on this historic narrow-gauge railroad.

Shipwreck Museum

Discover Shipwreck Museum in Hastings, England: From battleships to Roman vessels, this museum explores the depths of shipwrecks in the region.

Eight-Hour-Day Monument

Discover Eight-Hour-Day Monument in Melbourne, Australia: Monument to commemorate the ideal eight-hour working day with “eight hours labour, eight hours rest and eight hours recreation”.

Buckner Mansion

Discover Buckner Mansion in New Orleans, Louisiana: This Garden District mansion was built to be bigger and grander than its original owner's former partner turned rival.

The Press Room

Discover The Press Room in New York, New York: Home to a dizzying array of letterpress blocks with a rich history.

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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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