Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Dale Chihuly Sculpture

Discover Dale Chihuly Sculpture in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: A unique configuration of blown glass can be found inside this hotel lobby.

Tomphubil Lime-Kiln

Discover Tomphubil Lime-Kiln in Glengoulandie, Scotland: A small, former industrial site overlooking Loch Kinardochy.

Ru du Pan Perdu

Discover Ru du Pan Perdu in Chatillon, Italy: For centuries this cliffside aqueduct was believed to be of Roman origin, but it actually dates to the medieval era.

Griffith J. Griffith Statue

Discover Griffith J. Griffith Statue in Los Angeles, California: Although he donated over 3,000 acres to Los Angles, Griffith's life was marred by controversy.

Spindle Sears House

Discover Spindle Sears House in Centreville, Virginia: This restored house built from a Sears kit in the 1930s is a physical remnant of FDR's New Deal following the Great Depression.

Museum of the Future

Discover Museum of the Future in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: This futuristic building is yet another architectural wonder in Dubai.

The Ruins of Caracol

This massive Maya city in Belize was larger than the country's modern capital.

Scolpaig Tower

Discover Scolpaig Tower in Outer Hebrides, Scotland: Although it appears much older, this castle-like tower is actually a Georgian-era folly.

‘The Storyteller’

Discover 'The Storyteller' in Birmingham, Alabama: This fountain was commissioned by a mother grieving over her son's passing.

Spring Street Museum

Discover Spring Street Museum in Shreveport, Louisiana: Learn about the history of Shreveport in one of the city’s oldest surviving buildings.

Viminacium

Discover Viminacium in Kostolac, Serbia: At this archaeological site, visitors can explore the ruins of the capital of the former Roman province of Moesia.

Capital Pool Checkers

Discover Capital Pool Checkers in Washington, D.C.: The former home of elite checkers battles of the Capital Pool Checkers Club.

The Pyramid of Nether Wallop

Inspired by the grand pyramids at Giza, this 15-foot monument in a small English village marks the burial place of an eccentric doctor.

The Meeting of Three Waters

Discover The Meeting of Three Waters in Ballachulish, Scotland: The location of the Bridge of Death and the Gorge of Eternal Peril in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail.".

Hans Klussmann Square

Discover Hans Klussmann Square in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: This sculpture garden creates a whimsical aura in an urban and wild environment.

Ruins of Clopper Mill

Discover Ruins of Clopper Mill in Germantown, Maryland: The hidden ruins of a mill that is linked to an attempt to assassinate the vice president of the United States.

Jimmy Stewart Museum

Discover Jimmy Stewart Museum in Indiana, Pennsylvania: The hometown of movie legend, military officer and All-American guy next door, honors this great actor.

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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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