Archives: Atlas Obscuras

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.

Me Little Brudder Memorial

Discover Me Little Brudder Memorial in Creeragh, Ireland: A small memorial commemorates a man who died at Kilkee Cliffs.

Statue of Abraham Lincoln at Lytle Park

Discover Statue of Abraham Lincoln at Lytle Park in Cincinnati, Ohio: One of the few beardless depictions of Lincoln, George Grey Barnard's 1917 was denounced by many—including Lincoln's own son.

The Divided Church at Kreuzbichl

Discover Geteilte Kirche am Kreuzbichl (Divided Church) in Gmünd in Kärnten, Austria: A road runs through the middle of this small Austrian chapel.

The Museum of Sketches

Discover Skissernas Museum in Lund, Sweden: House in a university's former gym, this museum focuses on the artistic creative process.

Horatio Alger House

Discover Horatio Alger House in Natick, Massachusetts: The American author whose "rags-to-riches" stories were popular during the Gilded Age.

Vénus de Quinipily

Discover Vénus de Quinipily in Baud, France: Despite the name, this ancient statue of uncertain origins is unlikely to represent the Roman goddess Venus.

Fashion Island Wind Chimes

Discover Fashion Island Wind Chimes in Newport Beach, California: These were the largest wind chimes in the world when artist Tom Van Sant created them for a California mall in 1967.

‘Spirit of the Marathon’

Discover 'Spirit of the Marathon' in Hopkinton, Massachusetts: A monument to the winner of the 1946 Boston Marathon, Greek runner Stylianos Kyriakides.

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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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