Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Morris Press Cookbook Store

Discover Morris Press Cookbook Store in Kearney, Nebraska: Inside this magical collection, you can buy recipes cooked up by church ladies, motorcycle clubs, and clowns.

McKee Grave

Discover McKee Grave in Arlington, Virginia: In what is rumored to be an intentional act of spite, this memorial almost completely obscures the nearby grave of a senior officer.

Western Deffufa of Kerma

Discover Western Deffufa of Kerma in Kerma Albeled, Sudan: The best-preserved example of a unique structure in Nubian architecture.

Dowden’s Ordinary Park

Discover Dowden's Ordinary Park in Clarksburg, Maryland: This suburban park recalls the history of a famous tavern. Despite the name, it's no ordinary place!

‘Personnages Oiseaux’

Discover 'Personnages Oiseaux' in Wichita, Kansas: Created by Catalan artist Joan Miró in 1978 and made up of 350,000 tiles, this mural is the only large-scale glass mosaic the artist ever created.

Noojee Trestle Bridge

Discover Noojee Trestle Bridge in Noojee, Australia: This remnant of an old railroad is the tallest surviving wooden trestle bridge in Victoria.

El Viejo Hobbit

Discover El Viejo Hobbit in Villa Gesell, Argentina: "Di amigo y entra" at this Argentinian Middle Earth-inspired pub.

Prairie Futures

Discover Prairie Futures in Joes, Colorado: An environmental art installation inspired by farmhouses and crop circles.

Decker’s Chapel

Discover Decker's Chapel in St Marys, Pennsylvania: A tiny one-room church built after one man's prayer for healing was answered.

The Tripoli Monument

Discover The Tripoli Monument in Annapolis, Maryland: The oldest military monument in the United States.

Nine Mens Misery

Discover Nine Mens Misery in Cumberland, Rhode Island: Constructed in 1676, this stone memorial is believed to be the oldest veteran's memorial in the United States.

Clarksburg School

Discover Clarksburg School in Clarksburg, Maryland: One of the last schoolhouses constructed in the early 20th-century still standing in Montgomery County.

Ekranoplan Lun

Discover Ekranoplan Lun in Derbent, Russia: An enormous Soviet aircraft, the only one of its kind, stands at the deserted shore of the Caspian Sea.

Oudekerksplein

Discover Oudekerksplein in Amsterdam, Netherlands: This city square is home to Amsterdam's oldest church and a statue honoring Dutch sex workers.

Castle of Wewelsburg

Discover Castle of Wewelsburg in Büren, Germany: This unique Renaissance castle was turned into a home for Nazi occultism.

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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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