Archives: Atlas Obscuras

‘Cash for Your Warhol’

Discover 'Cash for Your Warhol' in Cambridge, Massachusetts: A small plaque promises cold, hard cash in exchange for work by the famous pop artist.

Spitalfields Charnel House

Discover Spitalfields Charnel House in London, England: Preserved behind glass, the ruins of a medieval building used to store human remains.

Castillo Pittamiglio

Discover Castillo Pittamiglio in Montevideo, Uruguay: A replica of a famous Greek statue adorns the front of the unusual home of architect and alchemist Humberto Pittamiglio.

Adlerbogen (Eagle Arch)

Discover Adlerbogen (Eagle Arch) in Dannenfels, Germany: A triumphal steel arch on the side of a German mountain.

Hwajinpo Summer Houses

Discover Hwajinpo Summer Houses in Goseong, South Korea: The triumvirate of postwar Korea—Kim Il-sung, Syngman Rhee, and Lee Ki-poong—once vacationed on this seaside peninsula.

Castle Semple Collegiate Church

Discover Castle Semple Collegiate Church in Lochwinnoch, Scotland: The ruins of a small church belonging to a powerful Scottish family still hold the remains of its patriarch.

Tomb of Unknown Soldier (Bethlehem)

Discover Tomb of Unknown Soldier (Bethlehem) in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania: A tribute to those that perished during the American Revolution.

Lion Rock Mountain

Discover Lion Rock Mountain in Maseru, Lesotho: Just outside Lesotho's capital city, a rock formation takes the shape of a powerful predator.

Hang Ah Tea Room

Discover Hang Ah Tea Room in San Francisco, California: The oldest dim sum restaurant in the United States is a nostalgic jewel.

Kangxi-Verbiest Celestial Globe

Discover De Kangxi-Verbiest Hemelglobe (Kangxi-Verbiest Star Globe) in Leuven, Belgium: A replica of a 17th-century map of the stars stands in the courtyard of a Belgian university.

Sir James Murray’s Post Box

Discover Sir James Murray's Post Box in Oxford, England: A letterbox installed specifically for the first editor of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Tinuy-An Falls

Discover Tinuy-An Falls in Bislig, Philippines: Sometimes known as the little Niagara Falls of the Philippines.

Three “Roman” Bridges

Discover Hockenhull Platts in Tarvin, England: Three stone bridges straddling the River Gowy form part of the medieval road from London to Holyhead—despite a common nickname, they're not Roman.

Guiyuan Temple

Discover Guiyuan Temple in Wuhan, China: Count the statues to gain insight into your future from Buddhist disciples.

HomeComputerMuseum

Discover HomeComputerMuseum in Helmond, Netherlands: An interactive museum dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the home computer.

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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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