Archives: Atlas Obscuras

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.

House of Proclus

Discover House of Proclus in Athens, Greece: Underneath one of the region's most historic roads lies the home of Plato's successor.

Sigtuna Rådhus (City Hall)

Discover Sigtuna Rådhus (City Hall) in Sigtuna, Sweden: A tiny town hall—in Sweden's one-time capital—might be the smallest in Europe.

Renton Public Library

Discover Renton Public Library in Renton, Washington: This unique library spans a mighty river.

Suguksa Temple

Discover Suguksa Temple in Seoul, South Korea: The name of the only golden Buddhist temple in Korea translates as "the temple that protects the country.".

Round Falls

Discover Round Falls in Baltimore, Maryland: Once part of a dam servicing an early 19th century grist mill, the tucked-way falls are a tricky-to-find urban oasis.

Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center

Discover Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center in Fairmont, West Virginia: The center preserves and houses artifacts ranging from the colonial era to modern times from across Appalachia.

Eklutna Tailrace

Discover Eklutna Tailrace in Palmer, Alaska: This popular fishing spot at the outflow of a 4.5-mile long hydroelectric tunnel sports a jetty literally made out of classic cars.

Burial Place of Chief Pontiac

Discover Burial Place of Chief Pontiac in St. Louis, Missouri: A plaque on the side of a parking garage marks the burial place of a great Ottawa chief.

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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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