Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Fred’s Flying Circus

Discover Fred's Flying Circus in Grand Island, Nebraska: Whimsical cartoon cars suspended on posts soar over an automotive shop.

Free Expression Tunnel

Discover Free Expression Tunnel in Raleigh, North Carolina: In a pedestrian tunnel on North Carolina State’s campus resides an expressive and artistic free-for-all.

Swansea Devil

Discover Swansea Devil in Swansea, Wales: A turn of the century prophecy comes true when a mischievous wooden Devil, watches the neighboring church burn to the ground.

Passy Cemetery

Discover Passy Cemetery in Paris, France: A short distance from the Eiffel Tower is the final resting place of several of the city’s more well-known and interesting characters.

Army Ant Guests Exhibit

Discover Army Ant Guests Exhibit in Mansfield, Connecticut: A giant ant model welcomes visitors to an exhibit about symbiotic organisms that live with army ant colonies.

Broulee Canoe Tree

Discover Broulee Canoe Tree in Broulee, Australia: This tree, with its large oval-shaped scar, is a rare piece of Aboriginal cultural history.

Arizona Sake

Discover Arizona Sake in Holbrook, Arizona: One man handcrafts "the best sake made outside of Japan" in a tiny desert town on Route 66.

Carnforth Coke Ovens

Discover Carnforth Coke Ovens in Carnforth, England: These early 19th-century kilns were used to make coke, a key Ingredient in steel production.

Bob Wills Museum

Discover Bob Wills Museum in Turkey, Texas: A small museum dedicated to the king of Western swing.

Puna End of the Road

Discover Puna End of the Road in Pāhoa, Hawaii: In 2018, Pohoiki Road was severed by lava flowing from the eruption of Kilauea.

Parr Park Rock Trail

Discover Parr Park Rock Trail in Grapevine, Texas: In Parr Park, thousands of painted rocks line this walking trail.

Atlanta Botanical Garden

Discover Atlanta Botanical Garden in Atlanta, Georgia: A grassroots community effort in the 1970s led to the creation of this beautiful garden full of delightfully whimsical exhibits.

Canoehenge

Discover Canoehenge in Leasburg, Missouri: Nestled in Onondaga State Park, over 100 canoes carefully stacked in a replica of the famous standing stones.

The Rhymer’s Stone

Discover The Rhymer's Stone in Melrose, Scotland: It's said that at this location, a Scottish poet met the Queen of the Fairies.

Battle of Naseby Obelisk

Discover Battle of Naseby Obelisk in Naseby, England: A monument at the site of a decisive battle in the First English Civil War.

Palazzo Aldegatti’s Cat

Discover Palazzo Aldegatti's Cat in Mantua, Italy: This decoration above a door, an unofficial family crest, is said to come alive during the night to try to get free of the stone.

Bekesbourne Tetrahedra Field

Discover Bekesbourne Tetrahedra Field in Bekesbourne, England: An anti-tank graveyard in the English countryside.

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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

PP ToS