Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Birds of Vermont Museum

Discover Birds of Vermont Museum in Huntington, Vermont: Wood carving meets bird conservation at this museum showcasing the life's work of one man.

Puente de Dios

Discover Puente de Dios in Mexico: A spring water stream jumps through a walkable "bridge" cavern and a narrow canyon.

Loup of Fintry

Discover Loup of Fintry in Glasgow, Scotland: This waterfall is one of the most spectacular natural features in the Scottish Lowlands.

Bridge of Peace

Discover Bridge of Peace in Tbilisi, Georgia: With over 10,000 lights, this engineering marvel lights up the city after dark.

Devil’s Punchbowl

Discover Devil’s Punchbowl in Menomonie, Wisconsin: As the glaciers retreated out of northern Wisconsin, this unique natural wonder was crafted.

Brunswick Stew Monument

Discover Brunswick Stew Monument in Brunswick, Georgia: This monument claims to display the first pot used to cook a famed Southern stew.

Teal McDonald’s Arches

Discover Teal McDonald's Arches in Sedona, Arizona: The world's only teal arches exist in a city that cares more about its aesthetic than an Instagram influencer.

John Goffe’s Mill

Discover John Goffe’s Mill in Bedford, New Hampshire: A humble reminder to Bedford’s past sits hidden in plain sight.

Lago di Alleghe

Discover Lago di Alleghe in Alleghe, Italy: A devastating landslide accidentally created this tourist hotspot.

‘The Man Slopping Pigs’

Discover 'The Man Slopping Pigs' in Falls Church, Virginia: This eye-catching sculpture of rural life seems a bit out of place at a suburban intersection in front of a car dealership.

Ancient Orient Museum

Discover Ancient Orient Museum in Tokyo, Japan: A hole-in-the-wall antiquities museum in one of Tokyo's most popular megamalls.

Goldsmith’s Garden

Discover Goldsmith's Garden in London, England: A secluded green oasis amidst the towering skyscrapers, bears an unusual moniker that reflects one of the city's oldest guilds.

Deptford Anchor

Discover Deptford Anchor in London, England: A much-loved local landmark pays tribute to the shipbuilding past of this area.

Harvey’s Cross

Discover Harvey's Cross in Brighton and Hove, England: On a remote footpath and surrounded by beautiful Sussex countryside sits Sussex’s smallest cemetery.

Spar Cave

Discover Spar Cave in Isle of Skye, Scotland: Though difficult to access, this stunning cave has a place in Scotland's poetic history.

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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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