Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Back Door Donuts

Discover Back Door Donuts in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts: Martha's Vineyard's most beloved speakeasy sells late-night pastries.

Nike Missile Site C-44

Discover Nike Missile Site C-44 in Chicago, Illinois: A relic of the Cold War in the heart of Chicago.

Conundrum Hot Springs

Discover Conundrum Hot Springs in Aspen, Colorado: It takes a nine-mile hike to reach these hot springs, but weary hikers are rewarded with stunning views and a warm soak.

The Labyrinth of Rome

Discover The Labyrinth of Rome in Rome, Georgia: This labyrinth was designed to help visitors focus and meditate.

Mumbai’s Afghan Church

This 19th-century church was built to commemorate those who died in the First Anglo-Afghan War.

Fällbro Runestone

Discover Fällbro Runestone (Uppland Runic Inscription Fv1946;258) in Täby Kyrkby, Sweden: This Viking Age memorial contains the oldest known image of a Täby resident.

The Van Gogh Church

Discover The Van Gogh Church in Etten-Leur, Netherlands: Stained-glass windows inspired by Vincent van Gogh's paintings decorate this church in the town where the artist's career began.

Clarendon Gorge Bridge

Discover Clarendon Gorge Bridge in Shrewsbury, Vermont: A cable-suspension footbridge that hangs high above the Mill River.

Pan Am Billboard

Discover Pan Am Billboard in Reguengo do Fetal, Portugal: Some 4,000 individual tiles make up this striking blue billboard from the golden age of air travel.

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.

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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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