Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Lincoln’s Inn

Discover Lincoln's Inn in London, England: This inn of the court provides a fascinating window into London’s legal and architectural history.

Colorado Antique Gallery

Discover Colorado Antique Gallery in Littleton, Colorado: This gallery is home to everything from antiques, to ancient tribal masks.

North Carr Stone Beacon

Discover North Carr Stone Beacon in Crail, Scotland: The remains of a 19th-century carving of what was to be a signal light on the Firth of Forth Estuary.

Shrum Mound

Discover Shrum Mound in Columbus, Ohio: A 2,000-year-old Adena burial mound located along a busy street in Columbus, Ohio.

Frisco Ghost Town

Discover Frisco Ghost Town in Frisco, Utah: Only ruined buildings and abandoned charcoal kilns remain of this once bustling Wild West boom town.

American Society of Dowsers

Discover American Society of Dowsers in Danville, Vermont: The national headquarters of the dowser’s society founded in 1961.

St. Michael’s Flags and Angel Meadow Park

Discover St. Michael's Flags and Angel Meadow Park in Manchester, England: Contrary to its heavenly name, this tranquil oasis has a dark and tragic history buried with it (quite literally).

Quinlan Castle

Discover Quinlan Castle in Birmingham, Alabama: A castle-inspired apartment building that has stood in Birmingham since 1927.

St. Ninian’s Fife Earth Project

Discover St. Ninian's Fife Earth Project in Lassodie, Scotland: The half-finished remains of what would have been Scotland’s biggest piece of landscape art.

Brooklyn-Flatbush Border Line

Discover Brooklyn-Flatbush Border Line in Brooklyn, New York: One of the remaining markers of an era when Brooklyn and Flatbush were separate cities.

Teotenango

Discover Teotenango in Tenango del Valle, Mexico: The archeological ruins of the ancient fortified city of the mysterious Teotenanca civilization.

Beautiful Betsy Crash Site

Discover Beautiful Betsy Crash Site in Valentine Plains, Australia: For nearly 50 years this airplane that crashed during World War II remained missing in the remote Australian backcountry.

Largest Rosary in the World

Discover Largest Rosary in the World in Tagum, Philippines: This massive Roman Catholic rosary is composed entirely of wood.

The Munch Box

Discover The Munch Box in Los Angeles, California: A 1950s Googie burger stand is now a Los Angeles landmark.

‘Axe Majeur’ (‘Major Axis’)

Discover 'Axe Majeur' ('Major Axis') in Cergy, France: This massive sculptural work outside of Paris was four decades in the making—and it's still not quite complete.

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

Discover David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya: This wildlife trust is dedicated to orphaned elephant rescue and conservation.

WTC Station ‘E’ Subway Entrance

Discover WTC Station 'E' Subway Entrance in New York, New York: A remnant of the original World Trade Center complex continues to serve as a commuter gateway.

The King’s Knot

Discover The King's Knot in Stirling, Scotland: These formal gardens were designed to be admired from the vantage point of the castle.

Bell Laboratories Transistor Water Tower

Discover Bell Laboratories Transistor Water Tower in Holmdel, New Jersey: This water tower commemorates the invention of the transistor on this site in 1947.

Groningen University Museum

Discover Groningen University Museum in Groningen, Netherlands: Preserving the research tools, unexpected inventions, and odd collections of generations of college professors.

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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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