Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Michael C. Carlos Museum

Discover Michael C. Carlos Museum in Atlanta, Georgia: Located on the campus of Emory University, this museum is filled with objects from the Americas to ancient Greece.

Chamblin Bookmine

Discover Chamblin Bookmine in Jacksonville, Florida: A sprawling maze of used books piled from floor to ceiling.

Nott Memorial

Discover Nott Memorial in Schenectady, New York: This elaborate High Victorian Gothic structure is one of the world's few 16-sided buildings.

Cromwell’s Bridge

Discover Cromwell's Bridge in Lancashire, England: Oliver Cromwell marched his army over this narrow bridge to victory at the Battle of Preston in 1648.

Kilcoan Gardens

Discover Kilcoan Gardens in Larne, Northern Ireland: Located on the Islandmagee peninsula, these gardens are among the most distinguished in County Antrim.

Millennium Manor Castle

Discover Millennium Manor Castle in Alcoa, Tennessee: One man’s religious convictions led him to build this stone castle meant to withstand an apocalypse.

Fórnea de Porto de Mós

Discover Fórnea de Porto de Mós in Alcaria, Portugal: A naturally occurring amphitheater carved by erosion into the mountainside.

Sno Giant Head Sculptures

Discover Sno Giant Head Sculptures in Georgia: Georgia's answer to Easter Island immortalizes the nation's great poets, artists, and leaders in stone glory.

James C. Dent House

Discover James C. Dent House in Washington, D.C.: Now a living classroom, this house was once the home of Reverend James Clinton Dent, a formerly enslaved man and a pastor.

Maratha War Memorial

Discover Maratha War Memorial in Pune, India: A stone monument dedicated to Indian soldiers who fought and died for the British Indian Army during World War I.

‘Picturesque Chickens’

Discover 'Hönstavlan' ('Picturesque Chickens') in Strängnäs Ö, Sweden: This strange portrait of six ladies with chicken bodies commemorates a count's dirty habits.

Battle of Marston Moor Monument

Discover Battle of Marston Moor Monument in York, England: A monolith stands at the site of the most significant battle ever fought on British soil.

Muzej Žeravica

Discover Muzej Žeravica in Novo Miloševo, Serbia: What started as a collection of vintage tractors turned into a museum filled with cars, radios, and other oddities.

The Shark and Ray Rescue Centre

Discover The Shark and Ray Rescue Centre in Bobs Farm, Australia: Once an aquarium, this sanctuary now rescues sharks and rays from fishing nets.

Valle Giumentina

Discover Valle Giumentina in Pacentro, Italy: In Majella National Park, these stone dwellings harken back to the region's pastoral history.

Statue of Sallie Ann Jarrett

Discover Statue of Sallie Ann Jarrett in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: The beloved, war-tested mascot of a Union regiment graces their battlefield monument.

Museo del Burattino

Discover Museo del Burattino in Bergamo, Italy: A museum entirely dedicated to Bergamo’s tradition of puppetry.

Henry Wickenburg Pioneer Cemetery

Discover Henry Wickenburg Pioneer Cemetery in Wickenburg, Arizona: This tucked-away cemetery is the final resting place of a prospector who uncovered one of the largest gold mines in Arizona.

John Poole House

Discover John Poole House in Poolesville, Maryland: Dating to 1793, this is the oldest building in Poolesville.

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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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