Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Bubble Beach Spa

Discover Bubble Beach Spa in Soufriere, Dominica: Thermal springs underneath the seabed provide the heat and bubbles for these beachside natural hot tubs.

Tomb of Henry Bataille

Discover Tomb of Henry Bataille in Moux, France: The haunting cadaver tomb of a famous French poet, playwright, and filmmaker.

Keith Haring Mural

Discover Keith Haring Mural in Collingwood, Australia: A large Melbourne wall is home to an iconic work of art from one of the world's most renowned street artists.

Lady Bavaria

Discover Lady Bavaria in Munich, Germany: This massive statue is the personification of Bavaria and the first colossal statue of the modern period composed of bronze.

Café in the Crypt

Discover Café in the Crypt in London, England: This coffee shop hides beneath a historic church.

Tomb Effigy of T.E. Lawrence

Discover Tomb Effigy of T.E. Lawrence in Wareham, England: Inside this 11th-century church, a medieval-style tomb of the World War I hero known as "Lawrence of Arabia.".

Recsk National Memorial Park

Discover Recsk National Memorial Park in Recsk, Hungary: For decades, Hungary's Communist Party insisted this gulag had never existed.

Lucky Rabbit

Discover Lucky Rabbit in Hattiesburg, Mississippi: A parade of interactive nostalgia nestled within a giant brick building in downtown Hattiesburg.

Manila Clock Tower

Discover Manila Clock Tower in Manila, Philippines: This iconic clock tower is the largest in the Philippines.

Ruta de la Amistad (Friendship Route)

Discover Ruta de la Amistad (Friendship Route) in Mexico City, Mexico: A series of modernist, abstract sculptures form a route created as part of the 1968 Olympics' Cultural Olympiad.

We Bite Rare & Unusual Plants

Discover We Bite Rare & Unusual Plants in New Orleans, Louisiana: This New Orleans boutique and nursery specializes in rare flora, with a focus on carnivorous plants.

Melbourne Rectangular Stadium

Discover Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne, Australia: Equipped with thousands of LED lights, this geodesic dome-shaped stadium is an engineering delight.

Washington Canoe Club

Discover Washington Canoe Club in Washington, D.C.: This historic boathouse was constructed using salvaged lumber from burned barns.

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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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