Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Nike Missile Control Site N-85

Discover Nike Missile Control Site N-85 in Newport News, Virginia: This former POW camp was transformed into a Cold War missile installation.

Skipping Girl Sign

Discover Skipping Girl Sign in Abbotsford, Australia: Saved by the community from destruction, this sign has become a national treasure.

Knights Ferry Covered Bridge

Discover Knights Ferry Covered Bridge in Knights Ferry, California: The longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi River.

Dunure Castle

Discover Dunure Castle in Dunure, Scotland: Now in ruins, this castle stood for centuries and saw a number of gruesome events.

Cementerio de Sayulita

Discover Cementerio de Sayulita in Sayulita, Mexico: This colorful, ornately-decorated cemetery sits next to a quiet cove known as "the beach of the dead.".

Thousla Cross

Discover Thousla Cross in Rushen, Isle of Man: This concrete memorial commemorates a group of brave locals who saved the crew and passengers of a wrecked ship.

JSQ Lounge

Discover JSQ Lounge in Jersey City, New Jersey: Prank calls to this place, originally the "Tube Bar," inspired the creation of a Simpsons character.

Holliston Moon Tree

Discover Holliston Moon Tree in Holliston, Massachusetts: This American Sycamore was grown from seeds that accompanied the Apollo 14 mission in 1971.

Paul Street Boys Monument

Discover Paul Street Boys Monument in Budapest, Hungary: A scene from one of Hungary's most famous novels.

Yagiri no Watashi

Discover Yagiri no Watashi in Tokyo, Japan: The only Edo-period ferry that is still in operation in Tokyo today.

Graffiti Alley

Discover Graffiti Alley in Toronto, Ontario: A fantastic place to see murals, and an important location in the history of Toronto's legal street art scene.

Al Shinanah Historical Tower

Discover Al Shinanah Historical Tower in Ar Rass, Saudi Arabia: This tower has survived the times despite being composed of mud and camel hair.

Portland Puppet Museum

Discover Portland Puppet Museum in Portland, Oregon: A puppeteer’s paradise offering shows, workshops, and an archive of over 2,000 puppets.

Keystone Gallery

Discover Keystone Gallery in Scott City, Kansas: Home to fossils and other specimens from the Western Interior Seaway.

Missouri Mines State Historic Site

Discover Missouri Mines State Historic Site in Park Hills, Missouri: Rusted and decayed, this former mining site is a portal to the past.

Stearns History Museum

Discover Stearns History Museum in St. Cloud, Minnesota: The history of central Minnesota under one roof.

Capernwray Dive Centre

Discover Capernwray Dive Centre in Capernwray, England: Planes, helicopters, and a shipwreck are underwater in this former limestone quarry.

Piñones, Loíza

Discover Piñones, Loíza in Loíza, Puerto Rico: The food capital of Puerto Rico.

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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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