Archives: Atlas Obscuras

The Old Brick Road

Discover The Old Brick Road in Bunnell, Florida: Part of a highway network meant to connect Miami to Montreal, this 10-mile stretch of road made from red bricks is still around 100 years later.

Ecokathedraal

Discover Ecokathedraal in Mildam, Netherlands: Nestled in the woods lies this land art project: a hybrid between park, maze and natural monument.

Hagendenkmal

Discover Hagendenkmal in Worms, Germany: A statue dedicated to the antihero of the Nibelung legend.

Parque Masayoshi Ohira (Masayoshi Ohira Park)

Discover Parque Masayoshi Ohira (Masayoshi Ohira Park) in Mexico City, Mexico: This Japanese-inspired park showcases the city's peculiar trends for naming features after foreign rulers.

Mary Randolph Gravesite

Discover Mary Randolph Gravesite in Arlington, Virginia: Recorded as the first person buried in Arlington Cemetery.

Socrates Sculpture Park

Discover Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, New York: This outdoor gallery of sculptures along the East River was once a landfill.

Aldeia Artística (Artistic Village)

Discover Aldeia Artística (Artistic Village) in Barrenta, Portugal: The walls of this small village have been turned into a living street art gallery.

St. Rumbold’s Cathedral

Discover St. Rumbold's Cathedral in Mechelen, Belgium: The tallest church in Mechelen might have been the tallest in the world if not for a lack of funds.

Gympie Bone Museum

Discover Gympie Bone Museum in Araluen, Australia: Australia's first and only museum dedicated exclusively to bones.

Palazzo della Vittoria

Discover Palazzo della Vittoria in Turin, Italy: This building was designed to celebrate Italy's victory in World War I.

Museo Nacional de Cartografía

Discover Museo Nacional de Cartografía in Mexico City, Mexico: This museum dedicated to cartography is housed in a former 17th-century convent.

Bow & Arrow Brewing Co.

Discover Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. in Albuquerque, New Mexico: Owned by Native American women, this brewery is a celebration of indigenous culture in the American Southwest.

Null Island

Discover Null Island in : A busy island at the center of the world that doesn’t actually exist.

Toys of Eros

Discover Toys of Eros in Provincetown, Massachusetts: This stimulating sex toy museum is sure to arouse the interest of its visitors.

Fortaleza de Juromenha

Discover Fortaleza de Juromenha in Almoinhos, Portugal: This abandoned fortress still stands guard over the Guadiana River despite a history of warfare.

Forgotten World Highway

Discover Forgotten World Highway in Whangamōmona, New Zealand: This remote highway took over 50 years to build.

Posada el Castillo

Discover Posada el Castillo in Xilitla, Mexico: The former home of surrealist Edward James, who gave Xilitla its main attraction.

Harewood Lodge

Discover Harewood Lodge in Washington, D.C.: One of the first Second Empire-style buildings constructed in North America.

The Spite Wall

Discover The Spite Wall in Westminster, Massachusetts: One man built this massive wall to keep his neighbor from complaining about working on Sundays.

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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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