Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Emo War of Metro Insurgentes

Discover Emo War of Metro Insurgentes in Mexico City, Mexico: In 2008, this Mexico City metro station was the site of an hours-long fight between emo, punk, and goth groups.

Yerington Pit (Anaconda Copper Mine)

Discover Yerington Pit (Anaconda Copper Mine) in Yerington, Nevada: A deep toxic lake fills this abandoned open-pit copper mine, now a Superfund site.

Koshi Barrage

Discover Koshi Barrage in Bhardaha, Nepal: This structure, built more than 60 years ago to manage devastating seasonal floods, is known to attract a rare species of freshwater dolphin.

Layd Church Ruins

Discover Layd Church Ruins in Cushendall, Northern Ireland: The father of Belfast medicine is buried in the graveyard of this 13th-century church, which now lies in ruins.

Tu Viện A Nan

Discover Tu Viện A Nan in Gainesville, Florida: This Buddhist temple is home to a number of towering statues spread over a peaceful wooded park.

Torre de TV Digital

Discover Torre de TV Digital in Brasília, Brazil: One of the last designs from architect Oscar Niemeyer.

Temple of Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl

Discover Temple of Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl in Mexico City, Mexico: Underneath the historic center of Mexico City, the remains of a temple dedicated to the Aztec god of the wind.

James Marshall Monument

Discover James Marshall Monument in Coloma, California: His discovery kicked off the Gold Rush. One of the hands on this commemorative statue points to the spot where he found the precious metal.

ATK Rocket Garden

Discover ATK Rocket Garden in Corinne, Utah: Dozens of rockets and missiles are on display outside a testing facility in the Utah desert.

Birthplace of Buddy Guy

Discover Birthplace of Buddy Guy in Lettsworth, Louisiana: The childhood home of the legendary blues guitarist and singer.

Cosmo Isle Hakui

Discover Cosmo Isle Hakui in Hakui, Japan: A museum of space exploration in the UFO capital of Japan.

Game Boy that Survived a Bombing

Discover Game Boy that Survived a Bombing in New York, New York: Though the case is scorched and the buttons half-melted, this hardy handheld gaming device can still run a game of Tetris.

Shadow Boxes of Almudena Cemetery

Discover Shadow Boxes of Almudena Cemetery in Cusco, Peru: Reclaimed material from a convent destroyed by cannonfire was used to build parts of this 19th-century cemetery.

Mulberry Harbour Wreck

Discover Mulberry Harbour Wreck in Hayling Island, England: This concrete monster of a wreck lies in the mouth of Langstone Harbour as a monument to the incredible history of D-Day.

Grave of Peter Salem

Discover Grave of Peter Salem in Framingham, Massachusetts: The final resting place of a free Black soldier who played a pivotal role in the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Castello di Padernello

Discover Castello di Padernello in Padernello, Italy: A stately castle in the northern Italian countryside has been restored after years of neglect.

The Grave of Alice Richman

Discover The Grave of Alice Richman in Pune, India: In the middle of a peaceful campus garden stands a lone grave.

Black Monarch Hotel

Discover Black Monarch Hotel in Victor, Colorado: A renovated hotel is bringing new life to a nearly-abandoned mining town in Colorado.

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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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