Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Dechmont UFO Monument and Trail

Discover Dechmont UFO Monument and Trail in Deans, Scotland: A memorial commemorating the only Scottish police investigation into an extraterrestrial incident.

Shreveport Municipal Auditorium

Discover Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana: The art deco colossus played a role in war and medicine aside from hosting the iconic Louisiana Hayride.

Bridgestone Arena Smilodon Bones

Discover Bridgestone Arena Smilodon Bones in Nashville, Tennessee: These fossilized remains of an ancient saber-toothed cat inspired the mascot of Nashville's NHL team.

Graves of David and Mabel Todd

Discover Graves of David and Mabel Todd in Amherst, Massachusetts: One was an astronomer who spent his life chasing solar eclipses, the other helped make Emily Dickinson famous.

Jovanča Micić Monument

Discover Jovanča Micić Monument in Jagodina, Serbia: The figure atop this globe is from a Serbian play about a merchant's travels around the world.

Seattle Chinese Garden

Discover Seattle Chinese Garden in Seattle, Washington: This beautiful landscape is the only Sichuan-style garden outside of China.

Tavern at Rainbow Row

Discover Tavern at Rainbow Row in Charleston, South Carolina: The oldest liquor store in the country is a model of resilience and mischief.

Walthamstow Market

Discover Walthamstow Market in London, England: Though it's not the largest, this one-kilometer outdoor market is reportedly the longest in Europe.

Prubechu

Discover Prubechu in San Francisco, California: Get a taste of Chamorro cuisine, family-style, at this popular restaurant.

Reversing Hall Agrarian Library

Discover Reversing Hall Agrarian Library in Pembroke, Maine: An agricultural research library housed in a former Odd Fellows Lodge.

Pie Town

Discover Pie Town in Pie Town, New Mexico: This popular pitstop lives up to its name.

The Japanese-Style House of Prospect Park South

Discover The Japanese-Style House of Prospect Park South in Brooklyn, New York: This unique house, the only one of its kind in Brooklyn, was built as part of a real estate developer's showcase.

Liverpool Castle

Discover Liverpool Castle in Rivington, England: This 20th-century replica of a 13th-century castle has itself fallen into ruin.

Church of Agios Sostis

Discover Church of Agios Sostis in Athens, Greece: This Byzantine Church was moved from Paris to Athens block by block.

‘Renée’

Discover 'Renée' in Leuven, Belgium: This statue of a studious young woman stands at the site of Leuven's first college to accept female students.

The Whale Monument

Discover The Whale Monument in Tokyo, Japan: This sculpture of whale emerging from the sidewalk commemorates the importance of baleen in a type of traditional Japanese puppetry.

Barrel Arch Bridge

Discover Barrel Arch Bridge in Lorton, Virginia: This unique structure is the only one of its kind in Virginia.

Verde Canyon Railroad

Discover Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale, Arizona: An excursion train traverses a picturesque red-rock canyon along the Verde River.

Menu

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