Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Vic’s Ice Cream Parlor

Discover Vic's Ice Cream Parlor in Sacramento, California: At this 1940s-era neighborhood favorite, you can still drink a cherry phosphate.

Rockdrigo Memorial

Discover Rockdrigo Memorial in Mexico City, Mexico: A statue in Balderas subway station honors the rock star who wrote about it in a song.

Monumento a la Costurera

Discover Monumento a la Costurera (Monument to the Seamstress) in Mexico City, Mexico: This memorial was raised in honor of a group of workers heavily impacted by the 1985 Mexico City earthquake.

Bjørnegrotten

Discover Bjørnegrotten in Odder, Denmark: An abandoned bear enclosure from a 19th-century zoo located in a Danish forest.

‘Living Skeletons Scenes’

Discover 'Living Skeletons Scenes' in Bergamo, Italy: Six paintings reminding you that death is integral part of everyday life.

Guajataca Lake

Discover Guajataca Lake in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico: An unnatural lake in a naturally beautiful setting.

Sorgente del Mercure (Mercure Wellspring)

Discover Sorgente del Mercure (Mercure Wellspring) in Viggianello, Italy: This crystal clear water basin feeds the Lao river and powers a hydroelectric power plant.

Jack Dempsey Birthplace and Museum

Discover Jack Dempsey Birthplace and Museum in Manassa, Colorado: The former home of the "Manassa Mauler" is now a museum dedicated to his legendary boxing career.

Pan Am Flight 103 Memorial

This cairn in Arlington National Cemetery was a gift from Scotland to the United States, in memory of the 270 lives due to a terrorist bombing.

Metro Farm

Discover Metro Farm in Seoul, South Korea: Some of the freshest vegetables in Seoul are grown in a subway station.

Moenave Dinosaur Tracks

Discover Moenave Dinosaur Tracks in Tuba City, Arizona: One of the most extensive and well-preserved collections of dinosaur footprints in North America.

Childers Backpacker Memorial

Discover Childers Backpacker Memorial in Childers, Australia: This former hostel is now an art gallery and a memorial for 15 backpackers who lost their lives to a tragic act of arson.

Maison de Nostradamus

Discover Maison de Nostradamus in Salon-de-Provence, France: The home where the famous astrologer wrote some of his most telling prophecies.

Chesterwood

Discover Chesterwood in Stockbridge, Massachusetts: Take a step inside the picturesque studio of America’s most renowned sculptor.

Secretariat Pole

Discover Secretariat Pole in Elmont, New York: This pole near the infield rail at Belmont Park marks the jaw-dropping margin of Secretariat’s 1973 Belmont Stakes victory.

Elevador Lacerda

Discover Elevador Lacerda in Salvador, Brazil: This public elevator links the lower city to the upper city of Salvador.

Juan Rulfo House of Culture Mural

Discover Juan Rulfo House of Culture Mural in Mexico City, Mexico: The entrance to an early 20th-century cultural center features murals that deal with the cultural fusion that characterizes Mexico.

Cappella Colleoni

Discover Cappella Colleoni in Bergamo, Italy: If you ever wanted to touch a medieval mercenary’s three testicles, look no further.

Upplevelsdusch

Discover Upplevelsdusch in Värmdö SO, Sweden: This spa shower is an interactive art piece that reflects the feeling of Scandinavian seasons.

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i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 260 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. 474 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. 499 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. 633 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. 135 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. 167 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). 252 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 148 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. 96 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. 166

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