Archives: Atlas Obscuras

PlayGarden Park Sculptures

Discover PlayGarden Park Sculptures in Fulton, Mississippi: Whimsical bronze sculptures of smiling coins and houses await visitors to this park.

The Bust of Juan Bautista De Anza

Discover The Bust of Juan Bautista De Anza in Los Angeles, California: Anza led the first Spanish settlers from Mexico to Monterey, California in the 1770s.

George W. Lund Petrified Forest

Discover George W. Lund Petrified Forest in Gerlach, Nevada: A little-known occurrence of fossil wood in northern Washoe County, Nevada, near the Black Rock Desert.

Ayres of Swinister

Discover Ayres of Swinister in Shetland Islands, Scotland: The recurring nature of this geographic feature might make it unique in the world.

Albany Rural Cemetery

Discover Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, New York: The final resting place of President Chester A. Arthur and hundreds of others from Revolutionary War soldiers to poets, politicians, and painters.

Kingsley Schoolhouse

Discover Kingsley Schoolhouse in Clarksburg, Maryland: A well-worn trail through thick woods in northern Montgomery County leads to an old schoolhouse.

Sun Hing Restaurant

Discover Sun Hing Restaurant in Hong Kong: A half-century-old handmade dim sum joint opens daily at 3:00 a.m.

Nottingham Park Tunnel

Discover Nottingham Park Tunnel in Nottingham, England: You could blink and miss out on this feat of Victorian engineering.

Phillip Island Koala Conservation Reserve

Discover Phillip Island Koala Conservation Reserve in Rhyll, Australia: A conservation sanctuary for rescued koalas, some of which were saved from devastating Australian bushfires.

Pickering Pedestrian Bridge

Discover Pickering Pedestrian Bridge in Pickering, Ontario: The longest enclosed pedestrian bridge in the world spans 14 lanes of traffic and six rail tracks, all while lighting up the night sky.

Mulkot Mirror Wall

Discover Mulkot Mirror Wall in Purano Jhangajholi, Nepal: This twisty section of highway in the Himalayan foothills is lined with thousands of small mirrors.

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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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