Archives: Atlas Obscuras

‘Heavier Mountain’

Discover 'Heavier Mountain' in Seydisfjordur, Iceland: The only structure in a remote mountain pass, these colorful cubes are visible from miles away.

Vrouwekerk

Discover Vrouwekerk in Leiden, Netherlands: The remains of the last church of the pilgrims before they sailed west due to being 'too accepted'.

Tashkent Park

Discover Tashkent Park in Seattle, Washington: This park celebrates a sister city relationship that survived the Cold War.

Tadami Train Line

Discover Tadami Train Line in Uonuma, Japan: Running through lush forests and across the Tadami River, this train line offers breathtaking views of rural Japan.

Needless Alley

Discover Needless Alley in Birmingham, England: A small alleyway with an unusual moniker.

‘Woman and Child’

Discover 'Woman and Child' in Edinburgh, Scotland: This statue stands as a message against the ills of Apartheid.

Fisher Towers

Discover Fisher Towers in Castle Valley, Utah: These tall, red sandstone pinnacles outside Moab are often forgotten amid their more famous neighbors.

Duffelcoat Statue

Discover Duffelcoat Statue in Duffel, Belgium: The birthplace of the titular coat and related products celebrates its claim to fame with a statue of a coat.

Magazine Fort

Discover Magazine Fort in Dublin, Ireland: This 18th-century fort surrounded by a moat was used to store gun powder and ammunition, and now sits in the middle of a large part in Dublin.

Roxburgh Court Tree Plaques

Discover Roxburgh Court Tree Plaques in Edinburgh, Scotland: These plaques located in a court preserve a small piece of Edinburgh's history.

Whorlton Old Church

Discover Whorlton Old Church in Northallerton, England: All that remains of a medieval village, mysteriously abandoned.

Wishart Arch

Discover Wishart Arch in Dundee, Scotland: Atop this arch, during the 16th-century, a sermon was given to those suffering from plague.

Todt Hill

Discover Todt Hill in Staten Island, New York: The highest natural point in New York City and all of the Atlantic coastal plain.

Box Canyon Falls

Discover Box Canyon Falls in Ouray, Colorado: A glimpse of a waterfall is reached by a steel catwalk along a slot canyon located in an Ouray city park.

The Tepee

Discover The Tepee in Cherry Valley, New York: Take a trip back to the 1950s and the heyday of the road trip along Historic Route 20.

Skagit-Squatch

Discover Skagit-Squatch in Burlington, Washington: A museum dedicated to an elusive cryptid.

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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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