Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Parco Archeologico di Velia

Discover Parco Archeologico di Velia in Marina di Ascea, Italy: This ancient city was home to one of the greatest schools of Greek philosophy.

Fine Arts Building Atrium

Discover Fine Arts Building Atrium in Los Angeles, California: A Romanesque sanctuary of calm amid the bustle of downtown Los Angeles.

Lightship Portsmouth Museum

Discover Lightship Portsmouth Museum in Portsmouth, Virginia: A lightship turned museum, outfitted with artifacts from the vessel's past as part of the U.S. Lighthouse Service.

Dixville Notch

Discover Dixville Notch in Colebrook, New Hampshire: A mere dot on the map in the great north woods is the first place in America to vote in Presidential elections.

Rexhame Beach

Discover Rexhame Beach in Marshfield, Massachusetts: In 1898, a New England storm that claimed more than 400 lives created this brand new stretch of shoreline.

Leśniewo U-Boat Locks

Discover Leśniewo U-Boat Locks in Leśniewo, Poland: Built to transport German U-boats through the never-completed Masurian Canal, the locks near this Polish village are now home to a rope course.

Pockwockamus Rock

Discover Pockwockamus Rock in Millinocket, Maine: This nature mural exists to protect the surrounding environment and its own canvas from destruction.

Caldwell-Lake George Library

Discover Caldwell-Lake George Library in Lake George, New York: Of all the unique artifacts inside this library, a mummified hand stands out among the others.

Tower Bridge’s Dead Man’s Hole

Discover Tower Bridge’s Dead Man’s Hole in London, England: This unassuming alcove in London’s famous Tower Bridge once served to capture, store, and display dead bodies from the River Thames.

Original Taco Bell Sign

Discover Original Taco Bell Sign in Savannah, Georgia: This twisty sign depicts the chain's first logo.

Nike Missile Launch Site W-83

Discover Nike Missile Launch Site W-83 in Herndon, Virginia: An out-of-place Air Force radar dome is all that denotes this park as a former missile launch site.

‘Thrive’

Discover 'Thrive' in Fort Lauderdale, Florida: This concrete sculpture features a woman opening her heart to showcase a beautiful fern.

Inukshuk Village

Discover Inukshuk Village in Duncan, British Columbia: A collection of Inukshuks built and left by several hikers.

House at Otowi Bridge

Discover House at Otowi Bridge in San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico: This old ruin once served as a post office, a train station, a restaurant, and a bridge to the Atomic Age.

The Leaning Brownstone

Discover The Leaning Brownstone in Brooklyn, New York: This unusual apartment building may be Brooklyn's own version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Well of Los Padrones

Discover El Pozo de Los Padrones (Well of Los Padrones) in El Hierro, Spain: A well drilled into the side of a cliff supplies most of the water consumed on the island of El Hierro.

Roland M. Manteiga Statue

Discover Roland M. Manteiga Statue in Tampa, Florida: A memorial to legendary newsman, publisher, and owner of La Gaceta, the only trilingual newspaper in the U.S.

Doulton Fountain

Discover Doulton Fountain in Glasgow, Scotland: The largest terracotta fountain in the world, built to commemorate Britain’s Victorian achievements.

‘The Gorbals Boys’

Discover 'The Gorbals Boys' in Glasgow, Scotland: A sculpture that commemorates an iconic photo of urban Scotland's past.

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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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