Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Palazzo di Bonifacio VIII

Discover Palazzo di Bonifacio VIII in Anagni, Italy: This former papal residence was the site of an infamous incident known as the “slap of Anagni.”.

Nevada State Route 722

Discover Nevada State Route 722 in Austin, Nevada: US-50 in Nevada is known as "the Loneliest Road in America," but this earlier iteration of the route is even lonelier.

Cowane’s Hospital

Discover Cowane's Hospital in Stirling, Scotland: This figure of a local merchant is said to reanimate and do a dance during Hogmanay.

Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing

Discover Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing in St. Louis, Missouri: This unassuming riverbank is Missouri’s first designated site in the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

Celadon Terra Cotta Building

Discover Celadon Terra Cotta Building in Alfred, New York: A physical catalog of ceramics made by the now-defunct Celadon Terra Cotta company.

Newcraighall Monuments

Discover Newcraighall Monuments in Edinburgh, Scotland: Mining, a local filmmaker, and a philanthropist doctor all commemorated within a small space in suburban Edinburgh.

Ak Saray Palace

Discover Ak Saray Palace in Shahrisabz, Uzbekistan: Home to what was once considered the largest gate in central Asia.

The Sphinx Hotel

Discover The Sphinx Hotel in North Geelong, Australia: A taste of Egypt on the outskirts of Geelong.

Arrow Canyon

Discover Arrow Canyon in Moapa, Nevada: A hidden slot canyon in the southern Nevada desert makes an unexpected oasis and scenic hike.

Office of Collecting and Design

Discover Office of Collecting and Design in Las Vegas, Nevada: Decades' worth of lost and forgotten objects make up the collection of this tantalizingly odd little museum.

Khao Chi Chan

Also known as "Buddha Mountain," this limestone outcrop is decorated with a large laser engraving of the Buddha.

Yorkshire Air Museum

Discover Yorkshire Air Museum in York, England: This aircraft museum is home to one of just three Halifax bombers in the world.

Dun na Cuaiche Watchtower

Discover Dun na Cuaiche Watchtower in Inveraray, Scotland: An 18th-century viewpoint across the surrounding highlands.

Devinska Kobyla Missile Base

Discover Devinska Kobyla Missile Base in Bratislava, Slovakia: A relic of the Cold War tucked away in the forested hills above Bratislava.

Shelby Farms Park

Discover Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, Tennessee: This park offers a variety of sights and activities including trail rides and buffalo sightings.

Pomník Rudoarmějce

Discover Pomník Rudoarmějce in Kladno, Czechia: This statue of a Red Army Soldier has been moved and changed several times since its creation.

Carrara, Nevada

Though it was named after one of the most famous sources of marble in the world, this town built around a marble quarry would not find the same success.

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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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