Archives: Atlas Obscuras

The Burryman

Discover The Burryman in Edinburgh, Scotland: As part of an 800-year-old tradition, a man parades through town covered in a suit made out of spiky burrs.

Stone Pagoda of Hwaeomsa

Discover Stone Pagoda of Hwaeomsa in Gurve, South Korea: An unusual pagoda design in in the northwestern part of Hwaeomsa Temple.

The Gloup Disaster Memorial

Discover The Gloup Disaster Memorial in Shetland Islands, Scotland: A memorial to a 19th-century fishing disaster that had deep repercussions across Shetland.

Houses of the Sun

Discover Houses of the Sun in Latvia: Rent a barrel for a personal view of where the Baltic Sea meets the Gulf of Riga.

Missiri Mosque

Discover Missiri Mosque in Fréjus, France: This mosque was based on Sub-Saharan Islamic architecture and created for the Senegalese Tirailleurs.

Sighthill Stone Circle

Discover Sighthill Stone Circle in Glasgow, Scotland: This astronomically-aligned stone circle was the first of its kind to be built in Great Britain after a 3,000-year hiatus.

Cheonmachong

Discover Cheonmachong in Gyeongju, South Korea: This tomb's name derives from a famous painting of a white horse found inside.

Lamond House

Discover Lamond House in Alexandria, Virginia: Hidden in the forest atop a long, winding driveway is this stately home.

Torquato Tasso’s Oak Tree

Discover Torquato Tasso's Oak Tree in Rome, Italy: The charred, dead skeleton of an oak tree is said to have consoled a dying 16th-century Italian poet.

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.

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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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