Archives: Atlas Obscuras

The Naze and Naze Tower

Discover The Naze and Naze Tower in Essex, England: This crumbling coast and its teetering tower are literally filled with history, but they are also at great risk of becoming history themselves.

Graffiti House

Discover Graffiti House in Brandy Station, Virginia: At Brandy Station, Civil War soldiers left their mark on the battlefield and the walls of this small wooden house.

Blackfriars Friary

Discover Blackfriars Friary in Newcastle upon Tyne, England: The remains of a Dominican friary, once one of the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom.

Hastings Adobe

Discover Hastings Adobe in Collinsville, California: This cabin once belonged to one of California's original settlers.

Abandoned Thomas Iron Ruins

Discover Abandoned Thomas Iron Ruins in Hokendauqua, Pennsylvania: One of the first commercially successful anthracite-powered iron-making operations in North America.

Bart’s Books

Discover Bart's Books in Ojai, California: Explore more than 130,000 new and used books in the "world's largest outdoor bookstore.".

The Stone Graves Of Heysham

Discover The Stone Graves Of Heysham in Heysham, England: These ancient rock graves were featured on the cover of a Black Sabbath compilation album.

3 Points Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma

Discover 3 Points Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma in Keyes, Colorado: This tri-point marker identifies the location where these three states converge.

Aerosol Techniques Factory

Discover Aerosol Techniques Factory in Milford, Connecticut: This enormous abandoned factory is now a makeshift graffiti gallery.

Danger Bridge

Discover Danger Bridge in Warwick, Rhode Island: Despite the name, this narrow bridge isn't very dangerous at all.

Nike Missile Site W-64

Discover Nike Missile Site W-64 in Lorton, Virginia: This field of concrete was once an active defense site armed with nuclear warheads.

Princess Colliery Disaster Monument

Discover Princess Colliery Disaster Monument in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia: A simple memorial between a ball field and a skate park honors 21 men lost in a horrific mining accident.

Reiling Dredge

Discover Reiling Dredge in Breckenridge, Colorado: Above Breckenridge, a destructive mining technique sits sunken in a small pond.

Stubbert’s Point Battery

Discover Stubbert's Point Battery in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia: Alongside a scenic road are the remains of crumbling World War II gun emplacement.

Stagg Hall

Discover Stagg Hall in Port Tobacco, Maryland: One of the earliest and best-preserved buildings in Charles County, Maryland.

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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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