Archives: Atlas Obscuras

The Giant Spoon

Discover The Giant Spoon in Northumberland, England: A giant piece of cutlery designed to remind us about the origins of our food.

Muang Ngoi Neua

Discover Muang Ngoi Neua in Muang Ngoy, Laos: A quaint village where bomb casings from the Second Indochina War have been repurposed into mundane objects.

Wavine Cyrique (Secret Beach)

Discover Wavine Cyrique (Secret Beach) in Rosalie, Dominica: The hike to this stunning waterfall on a black sand beach is not for the faint of heart.

Santa Maria della Lode in Vescovio

Discover Santa Maria della Lode in Vescovio in Torri in Sabina, Italy: This beautiful Romanesque church preserves stunning medieval frescoes and the excavations of a Roman market town.

Featherstone War Horse

Discover Featherstone War Horse in Streethouse, England: This memorial is dedicated to the hundreds of soldiers from Featherstone who died fighting World War I.

Galle Fort

Discover Galle Fort in Galle, Sri Lanka: This fort dates back to 1588 and was colonized by the Portuguese, Dutch, and English and sits prominently on the Indian Ocean where azure water lap the coast.

Corviano

Discover Corviano in Soriano nel Cimino, Italy: This archaeological site built into a tuff outcrop is filled with rock dwellings, the ruins of a medieval castle, and a necropolis.

Vie Cave

Discover Vie Cave in Sorano, Italy: This network of roads is one of the most unique Etruscan creations ever discovered.

Hidden Cove Petroglyph Park

Discover Hidden Cove Petroglyph Park in Holbrook, Arizona: Petroglyphs, bird watching, and a 100-year-old Ranch in one location.

Riverside Pub Mural

Discover Riverside Pub Mural in Sheffield, England: Located behind the Riverside Pub is a nautical fantasy from one of the area's renowned street artists.

Thompson’s Mills

Discover Thompson's Mills in Shedd, Oregon: The last water-powered mill in Oregon is open daily for free tours and has a surprising history.

‘Winifred’

Discover 'Winifred' in Leeds, England: In a small courtyard resides this large mural that draws inspiration from Leeds and its history.

Singer Castle

Discover Singer Castle in Chippewa Bay, New York: This island castle contains enough secret passageways to support a season of Scooby-Doo episodes.

Carnbooth Anti-Aircraft Battery

Discover Carnbooth Anti-Aircraft Battery in Glasgow, Scotland: This former World War II artillery defense site was built to guard the industrial city of Glasgow.

Brest Railway museum

Discover Brest Railway museum in Brest, Belarus: Dozens of Soviet-era trains and carriages fill this outdoor museum.

Dholavira

Discover Dholavira in Dholavira, India: This archaeological site was once a grand city of the Indus Valley Civilization with a sophisticated system for conserving water.

Takikawa Sky Park

Discover Takikawa Sky Park in Takikawa, Japan: Pilots from around the world come to this park to fly gliders.

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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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