Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Western Sculpture Park

Discover Western Sculpture Park in St Paul, Minnesota: An underappreciated sculpture garden just a few blocks from the capitol building.

Steens Mountain

Discover Steens Mountain in Princeton, Oregon: With a crest near 10,000 feet, this treeless fault-block mountain in eastern Oregon provides stunning views and spectacular glacial landforms.

The Ghost Town of Misnébalam

Discover Misnébalam in Misnébalam, Mexico: According to legend, this hacienda was abandoned because of a curse.

Sovereign Hill

Discover Sovereign Hill in Golden Point, Australia: This outdoor museum harkens back to the height of the gold rush.

Buckley’s Bunyip

Discover Buckley's Bunyip in Aireys Inlet, Australia: A tribute to one man's encounter with a frightening cryptid.

Poway Midland Railroad

Discover Poway Midland Railroad in Poway, California: Take a leisurely ride on a 1906 cable car or a 1907 steam locomotive.

Osage County Courthouse

Discover Osage County Courthouse in Pawhuska, Oklahoma: Site of the 1926 murder trial of Ernest Burkhart who was involved in the "Reign of Terror.".

Alinjagala

Discover Alinjagala in Alinja, Azerbaijan: In the foothills of the lesser Caucasus, a centuries-old fortress still stands.

Pix-O-Matic

Discover Pix-O-Matic in Portland, Oregon: On East Burnside, a 24-hour vending machine distributes world-class pastries.

Buchan Caves Reserve

Discover Buchan Caves Reserve in Buchan, Australia: These 400 million-year-old caves feature honeycomb limestone formations.

Thomas Jefferson Tower’s Zeppelin Mooring Mast

Discover Thomas Jefferson Tower's Zeppelin Mooring Mast in Birmingham, Alabama: The metal spire on the roof of this tower was intended as an airship docking station, but it was never actually used.

Emmaus Mosaic Mural

Discover Emmaus Mosaic Mural in Emmaus, Pennsylvania: A fascinating community art piece created by students, teachers, and noted Philadelphia artist Isaiah Zagar.

Sutton Salt Lake

Discover Sutton Salt Lake in Middlemarch, New Zealand: New Zealand's only inland salt lake goes through a constant cycle of filling, evaporating, and refilling.

The Pink Store

Discover The Pink Store in Puerto Palomas, Mexico: A mecca of Mexican art and cuisine just over the border.

Whiskey Bottle Tombstone

Discover Whiskey Bottle Tombstone in Clayton, Alabama: In 1863, a woman buried her hard-drinking husband beneath his beloved booze.

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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

PP ToS