Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Motel Inn

Discover Motel Inn in San Luis Obispo, California: The world's first motel is now an administrative building for an apple farm.

Phanom Rung Historical Park

Discover Phanom Rung Historical Park in Ta Pek, Thailand: This Khmer-era temple includes a lintel that was stolen and displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago for years before returning to Thailand.

Sanctuary Stone

Discover Sanctuary Stone in Liverpool, England: This stone once marked the boundaries of Liverpool's medieval markets.

God Stone of Shiroishi

Discover Shinseki Shiroishi (God Stone of Shiroishi) in Shiroishi, Japan: A town's namesake rock has served as a spiritual matchmaker for hundreds of years.

Covão da Ametade

Discover Covão da Ametade in Loriga, Portugal: A glacial valley filled with silver beech trees in the mountains of Portugal.

Saimaluu Tash

Discover Saimaluu Tash in Toguz Toro, Kyrgyzstan: These oldest of these "embroidered stones" were carved 4,000 years ago in a high mountain valley.

Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Discover Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Freetown, Sierra Leone: A rehabilitation center for confiscated, orphaned, and abandoned chimpanzees.

Shrine to the Perfect Man

Discover Shrine to the Perfect Man in Columbus, New Mexico: This replica of the Indian spiritual master Meher Baba's tomb stands unfinished in the New Mexico desert.

Alice Liddell’s Grave

Discover Alice Liddell's Grave in Lyndhurst, Hampshire: The grave of Mrs. Reginald Hargreaves, who inspired the tale 'Alice in Wonderland.'.

Possum Kingdom Stone Arch Bridge

Discover Possum Kingdom Stone Arch Bridge in Graford, Texas: The bridge continues the legacy of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policy.

The Neon Museum

Discover The Neon Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Old neon signs from the City of Brotherly Love provide a snapshot of the city’s evolution.

‘Moby dick’

Discover 'Moby dick' in Stockholm, Sweden: A statue that stood at the center of a long copyright battle.

Da Gairdins

Discover Da Gairdins in Garderhouse, Scotland: The main feature of these gardens is a rarity in the northernmost part of Scotland: trees.

Pine Mountain 500

Discover Pine Mountain 500 in Iron Mountain, Michigan: Largest outdoor staircase in the United States.

Ljubljana Mosque

Discover Ljubljana Mosque in Ljubljana, Slovenia: Slovenia's first mosque is a striking mix of Islamic and modernist architecture.

Lincoln Highway Experience

Discover Lincoln Highway Experience in Latrobe, Pennsylvania: This museum is dedicated to the first coast-to-coast highway.

Santuario de Nossa Senhora da Peneda

Discover Santuario de Nossa Senhora da Peneda in São Bento do Canto, Portugal: This chapel is the site of a yearly pilgrimage that originated during the Middle Ages.

Caves of Filopappou Hill

Discover Caves of Filopappou Hill in Athens, Greece: These caves secretly held national treasures during World War II.

Grand Bazaar of Tabriz

Discover Grand Bazaar of Tabriz in Tabriz, Iran: The largest covered bazaar in the world.

Auto Škola Euro Start

Discover Auto Škola Euro Start in Zrenjanin, Serbia: Lodged in the wall of this driving school is a Zastava 750, one of the region's most popular cars.

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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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