Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Loy’s Station Covered Bridge

Discover Loy's Station Covered Bridge in Rocky Ridge, Maryland: First built around 1848, this bridge was destroyed by arson, but original timbers are included in the replacement.

‘Bruin’

Discover 'Bruin' in Dundee, Scotland: This monument depicts a harrowing event involving an escaped polar bear.

World War I Training Trenches

Discover World War I Training Trenches in Edinburgh, Scotland: These trenches were used to train the Scottish military for life on the frontlines of World War I.

Monastery of St. Simeon

Discover Monastery of St. Simeon in Aswan, Egypt: This 7th-century monastery was sacked by Saladin.

Linda McCartney Memorial Garden

Discover Linda McCartney Memorial Garden in Campbeltown, Scotland: An appropriate memorial dedicated to a well-renowned figure of Campbeltown.

‘The Brave Righetto’

Discover 'The Brave Righetto' in Rome, Italy: Among the busts of heroes of the Roman Republic of 1849, there is also a statue of a boy and his dog.

Anís del Mono Factory

Discover Anís del Mono Factory in Badalona, Spain: A bronze sculpture of a monkey sits outside this factory, which has made an anise-flavored liqueur for over 150 years.

Tasmanian Devil Unzoo

Discover Tasmanian Devil Unzoo in Taranna, Australia: The world's first cageless zoo is working to save endangered Tasmanian devils.

Bottomless Lakes State Park

Discover Bottomless Lakes State Park in Roswell, New Mexico: Hidden in the New Mexico desert southeast of Roswell, nine small deep lakes formed inside sinkholes.

Watergate Fountain

Discover Watergate Fountain in Washington, D.C.: The word "Watergate" will forever be associated with the infamous scandal in 1972, but this fountain is famous in its own right.

Grotte di Osimo

Discover Grotte di Osimo in Osimo, Italy: A series of caves, tunnels, and wells filled with fascinating figures and symbols.

Sifters Record Shop

Discover Sifters Record Shop in Manchester, England: This small record store was a favorite of Oasis's Noel and Liam Gallagher, who mentioned it in one of their early songs.

Sculptor’s Cave

Discover Sculptor's Cave in Duffus, Scotland: A beachside cave filled with Bronze Age metalwork, pottery, and human remains.

National D-Day Memorial

Discover National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia: This monument is dedicated to those lost on June 6, 1944, in the town with that day’s highest per-capita casualty rate.

Djurgården Anti-Tank Barrier

Discover Djurgården Anti-Tank Barrier in Östermalm, Sweden: Not far from the busy city lie these remains of a time when the world was on fire.

The Cartoon Saloon

Discover The Cartoon Saloon in Comfort, Texas: A unique cartoon-filled roadside attraction.

Vedanta Society’s Old Temple

Discover Vedanta Society's Old Temple in San Francisco, California: Built in 1906, this unique building was the first Hindu temple in the United States.

Yorkie Doodle Dandy Memorial

Discover Yorkie Doodle Dandy Memorial in Rocky River, Ohio: Smoky, also known as "Yorkie Doodle Dandy," was a four-pound hero of World War II.

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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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