Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Fleetwood Church

Discover Fleetwood Church in Brandy Station, Virginia: This abandoned church languishing for decades is now one man's passion project and subject of paranormal investigators.

Ice Cave of Bixby State Preserve

Discover Ice Cave of Bixby State Preserve in Edgewood, Iowa: Chilly air billows out from the entrance of an abandoned mine on a steep hillside, providing a refuge for Ice Age fauna and flora.

King William III Statue

Discover King William III Statue in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland: Commemorating the landing of William of Orange with his European army on their way to the Battle of the Boyne.

Sankt Olof Holy Springs

Discover Sankt Olof Holy Springs in Simrishamn V, Sweden: These two springs are tied to several legends, one of which involves the travels of Saint Olof.

Ogilvie-Wiener Mansion

From a supper club to a gay bar to an HBO shooting location, this 125-year-old Victorian mansion in Shreveport has lived many lives.

‘Luchs’

Discover 'Luchs' in Hamburg, Germany: A charming and enigmatic sculpture of a lynx haunts the park of Kellinghusen.

Bevolo Gas & Electric Light Museum

Discover Bevolo Gas & Electric Light Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana: This quaint museum in a long-running workshop is dedicated to a fixture in New Orleans lighting.

King Leonidas Statue

Discover King Leonidas Statue in Brunswick, Australia: This statue commemorates a special connection between ancient Greece and the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick.

‘Cromatico’

Discover 'Cromatico' in Tallinn, Estonia: This set of concrete chambers resonates according to different notes of octaves.

Robert Penn Warren’s Birthplace

Discover Robert Penn Warren's Birthplace in Guthrie, Kentucky: The birthplace of the first author to win the Pulitzer Prize in fiction and poetry.

Sea Tunnel at St. Anthony’s Canal

Discover Sea Tunnel at St. Anthony’s Canal in Šibenik, Croatia: This unique structure allowed boats to bypass underwater mine barriers in the channel to enter the harbor.

Rockland (Woodhill) Tunnel

Discover Rockland (Woodhill) Tunnel in Kennerdell, Pennsylvania: An abandoned railroad tunnel transformed into a creepy path for hikers and cyclists.

Memorial to the Edelweiss Pirates

Discover Memorial to the Edelweiss Pirates in Cologne, Germany: A poignant mural honors the heroic teenage non-conformists who took on the Nazis and paid the ultimate price.

‘Sweet Brown Snail’

Discover 'Sweet Brown Snail' in Munich, Germany: A giant snail sculpture looking longingly at the German traffic museum.

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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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