Archives: Atlas Obscuras

The House with Two Numbers

Discover The House with Two Numbers in Baarle-Hertog, Belgium: This residence straddles a border between Belgium and the Netherlands.

Tuvalu Women’s Handicraft Centre

Discover Tuvalu Women’s Handicraft Centre in Vaiaku, Tuvalu: Ancient weaving techniques are used to create these colorful souvenirs.

‘Memoria e Luce’

Discover 'Memoria e Luce' in Padua, Italy: A twisted steel beam from the wreckage of the World Trade Center is the centerpiece of this memorial for those who died on September 11, 2001.

Praia do Cassino

Discover Praia do Cassino in Rio Grande, Brazil: The longest sea beach in the world can be found on the southern coast of Brazil.

Big Water of Fleet Viaduct

Discover Big Water of Fleet Viaduct in Dumfries, Scotland: This 900-foot structure with 20 arches crossing a Scottish river was built in the late 19th century.

Núcleo Museológico do Sal

Discover Núcleo Museológico do Sal in Figueira da Foz, Portugal: This museum documents the ancient practice of salt production in Figueira da Foz.

Larne Jaunting Car Sculpture

Discover Larne Jaunting Car Sculpture in Larne, Northern Ireland: These vehicles were once a regular sight traveling up the Antrim Coast Road from Larne.

Presidential Palace

Discover Presidential Palace in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau: Built by Portuguese colonizers, the palace is now the seat of power for the independent nation.

The Guild Inn Estate

Discover The Guild Inn Estate in Toronto, Ontario: The remains of a once-famous hotel that also acted as an artist colony.

Horoku Inari Shrine

Discover Horoku Inari Shrine in Tokyo, Japan: Unfortunate lottery tickets are disregarded at this shrine in hopes of better luck.

Glenquicken Stone Circle

Discover Glenquicken Stone Circle in Creetown, Scotland: A gap marks the spot where a now-missing stone once completed the circular arrangement at this Neolithic site.

Leuven Mini City

Discover Leuven Mini City in Leuven, Belgium: A tiny metropolis resides inside this student housing complex.

Desert Lakes of Ounianga

Discover Desert Lakes of Ounianga in Chad: These natural wonders have taken millennia to form into the stunning marvels they are today.

Millican Daltons Caves

Discover Millican Daltons Caves in Borrowdale, England: It's believed a local adventurer spent 50 years living inside this cave.

Käthe Paulus Memorial

Discover Käthe Paulus Memorial in Berlin, Germany: A plaque marks the former home of Käthe Paulus, an aerial acrobat who invented the modern folding parachute.

Raritan Water Power Canal

Discover Raritan Water Power Canal in Raritan, New Jersey: In the 19th century, this canal provided power to mills, machine shops, and other businesses in the area.

Gros Piton

Discover Gros Piton in Soufriere, Saint Lucia: The larger of two volcanic peaks rising out of the crystalline waters of the Caribbean.

Karonga Museum

Discover Karonga Museum in Karonga, Malawi: A cultural center on the shores of Lake Malawi dedicated to preserving Karonga’s past and present, including the fossilized remains of the Malawisaurus.

Bellesguard

Discover Bellesguard in Barcelona, Spain: One of Antoni Gaudí's least-visited works, an homage to Catalan patrimony that mixes neo-Gothic with Modernista forms.

‘Crowning Woman’

Discover 'Crowning Woman' in Madison, Wisconsin: Prolific outsider artist Sid Boyum's concrete sculptures add whimsy to Madison's Schenk-Atwood neighborhood.

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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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