Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Lahey Lost Valley House

Discover Lahey Lost Valley House in Vienna, Virginia: A small brick parlor house and artist's studio located in the wilderness is surrounded by imposing suburban palaces.

Old Monroe County Courthouse

Discover Old Monroe County Courthouse in Monroeville, Alabama: An Alabama courtroom where two famous American authors played as children became the setting for a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Robert E. Harrill Burial Site

Discover Robert E. Harrill Burial Site in Carolina Beach, North Carolina: This centuries-old graveyard is the final resting place of the Fort Fisher Hermit.

Miradouro do Sanatório (Sanatorium Viewpoint)

Discover Miradouro do Sanatório (Sanatorium Viewpoint) in Covilha, Portugal: Panoramic views from the mountains over a facility built to provide tuberculosis patients with fresh mountain air.

Aberlady Bay Submarine Wrecks

Discover Aberlady Bay Submarine Wrecks in Longniddry, Scotland: Visible at low tide, this rusting vessel is one of the last surviving examples of the X-Class "Midget" submarines.

Anji Bamboo Museum

Discover Anji Bamboo Museum in Huzhou Shi, China: Home to around 40 different species, this forest was also the setting for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.".

Outamba-Kilimi National Park

Discover Outamba-Kilimi National Park in Sierra Leone: This national park is home to unique vegetation known as woodland savannah.

Arco di Riccardo

Discover Arco di Riccardo in Trieste, Italy: This Roman monument is surrounded by more recent construction, offering a stark contrast between ancient architecture and the modern urban landscape.

Thomas Bewick Bust

Discover Thomas Bewick Bust in Newcastle upon Tyne, England: This sculpture commemorates a naturalist and an illustrator whose work was a forerunner to modern field guides.

Caen Hill Locks

Discover Caen Hill Locks in Rowde, England: This section of the Kennet and Avon Canal has been designated the same level of heritage protection as Stonehenge.

North Fork Survivors

Discover North Fork Survivors in Toutle, Washington: Outside this souvenir shop is a statue of Bigfoot composed of volcanic ash, and plenty more to see inside.

Cathedral of Thorns

Discover Cathedral of Thorns in Willemstad, Curaçao: This living labyrinth made entirely of thorns is filled with art.

‘Mètre à Ruban’

Discover 'Mètre à Ruban' in Nantes, France: A massively oversized measuring tape sculpture sits inside a hidden yard.

Dixie Flyer Crash

Discover Dixie Flyer Crash in Ballum, Netherlands: Found in the waddenzee, this propeller has been put on public display as a reminder of the Second World War.

San Tash Burial Mound

Discover San Tash Burial Mound in Kyrgyzstan: According to one story, this burial mound is made up of stones that represent the casualties of a major battle.

‘Evropska Unija’

Discover 'Evropska Unija' in Belgrade, Serbia: This statue of a goat in boots is meant to represent the European Union.

Fort Belle Fontaine

Discover Fort Belle Fontaine in St. Louis, Missouri: During the 19th-century, this park was a vital trading fort.

Juan Ponce de León Landing Park

Discover Juan Ponce de León Landing Park in Melbourne Beach, Florida: This small beachside park commemorates the possibilities of discovery.

Täby kyrka (Täby Church)

Discover Täby kyrka (Täby Church) in Täby Kyrkby, Sweden: A medieval church that contains murals from famed artist Albertus Pictor.

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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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