Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park

Discover Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan: When North America was covered in ice, this was an oasis in the frozen desert.

Apartment of Soviet Life

Discover Apartment of Soviet Life in Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria: This apartment is a true time capsule of local life in Bulgaria during the Soviet regime.

Winfield Mounds

Discover Winfield Mounds in West Chicago, Illinois: Burial mounds of prehistoric Native Americans who lived along the DuPage River.

Berry Deep Lead Gold Mine

Discover Berry Deep Lead Gold Mine in Lawrence, Australia: One of the most successful gold mines of the Victorian gold rush.

Stone Mansion

Discover Stone Mansion in Alexandria, Virginia: Originally dubbed "Retirement" by the Navy Commodore who built it in 1780, this beautiful mansion is now the centerpiece of a suburban community park.

Gobustan Rock Art

Discover Gobustan Rock Art in Qobustan, Azerbaijan: A massive collection of petroglyphs dating back some 40,000 years.

Cambuslang Miners Monument

Discover Cambuslang Miners Monument in Cambuslang, Scotland: This striking monument pays tribute to those who died working the coal pits from the town of Cambuslang.

Victoria Theatre

Discover Victoria Theatre in Newcastle, Australia: The oldest remaining theatre in New South Wales.

Musciattino’s Hand

Discover Musciattino's Hand in Prato, Italy: A local legend says the theft of a holy relic explains the hand-shaped bloodstain on the facade of this cathedral.

Robert Smalls Memorial

Dedicated to the formerly enslaved man who stole a boat out from under the Confederate Navy.

Prince Road Container House

Discover Prince Road Container House in St. Augustine, Florida: Built to replace a house destroyed by a hurricane, this home is made entirely of shipping containers.

Hillsborough Barracks

Discover Hillsborough Barracks in Sheffield, England: This commercial and retail center was crafted from walled military barracks.

Memorial to the Featherstone Massacre

Discover Memorial to the Featherstone Massacre in Featherstone, England: A distinctive sculpture honors those killed and injured during a mineworkers strike in 1893.

Wooden Bridges of Bhaderwah

Discover Wooden Bridges of Bhaderwah in Bhaderwah, India: These bridges were designed to guide the soul on its spiritual journey to heaven.

Boathouses of Ine

Discover Boathouses of Ine in Ine, Japan: Unique, traditional "boathouses" can be found in this fishing town.

John Burroughs Woodchuck Lodge

Discover John Burroughs Woodchuck Lodge in Roxbury, New York: The Catskills retreat of naturalist writer John Burroughs.

Basilica di Sant’Elia

Discover Basilica di Sant'Elia in Castel Sant'Elia, Italy: Magnificent frescoes decorate the interior of this Romanesque church, which also showcases an unusual phenomenon during winter solstice.

Momotaro Shrine

Discover Momotaro Shrine in Inuyama, Japan: A kitsch shrine dedicated to the ogre-slaying folktale hero born from a peach.

Grave of Don Featherstone

Discover Grave of Don Featherstone in Berlin, Massachusetts: The gravestone of the man who designed the plastic pink flamingo is adorned with his most famous creation.

Cinémathèque Française

Discover Cinémathèque Française in Paris, France: This lesser-known Frank Gehry building houses a treasure trove of cinema history.

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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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