Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Dunbar Outdoor Pool Remains

Discover Dunbar Outdoor Pool Remains in Dunbar, Scotland: This Scottish bay still reveals evidence of its days as a seaside swimming pool.

Magruder’s Blacksmith Shop

Discover Magruder's Blacksmith Shop in Bethesda, Maryland: One of the oldest standing structures in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Church of St. Paul’s Shipwreck

Discover Church of St. Paul's Shipwreck in Valletta, Malta: This church is named for one of the most dramatic tales in the early Christian church.

Abstrakce

Discover Abstrakce in Kladno, Czechia: This abstract sculpture once had a twin in Prague.

Siliserh Lake

Discover Siliserh Lake in Kishanpur, India: In an arid region, this beautiful lake in the Aravalli hills is an unexpected delight.

Santa Maria del Soccorso

Discover Santa Maria del Soccorso in Forio, Italy: A snow-white church overlooking the wonderful Tyrrhenian Sea.

Jeti-Ögüz Rocks

Discover Jeti-Ögüz Rocks in Kyrgyzstan: According to myth, there's a bloody explanation for the beautiful bright red color of this rock formation set amidst alpine vegetation.

Elephant Car Wash Sign

Discover Elephant Car Wash Sign in Seattle, Washington: This giant pink elephant stood in downtown Seattle for more than 60 years.

The Turkish Beach Where You Can Walk on Water

Discover Maiden's Sand Path of Kizkumu Beach in Marmaris, Turkey: According to local legends, the shallow sandbar that allows visitors to walk across Orhaniye Bay has a tragic backstory.

Grave of Walter Lindrum

Discover Grave of Walter Lindrum in Carlton North, Australia: A distinctive monument for this former world champion takes the form of a billiards table, complete with balls and cue.

Itanoní

Discover Itanoní in Oaxaca, Mexico: In a quiet residential neighborhood, one restaurant fights to preserve heirloom corn, one tortilla at a time.

Halldórsskora (Elephant Rock)

Discover Halldórsskora (Elephant Rock) in Iceland: On an island south of Iceland, a large volcanic rock formation resembles an elephant.

“The Yearling”

Discover "The Yearling" in Denver, Colorado: A Rocky Mountain city provides a happy ending for a pinto pony and his Brobdingnagian red chair.

Abandoned Resort

Discover Abandoned Resort in Kaédi, Mauritania: The beehive-like buildings of this abandoned resort reside near the border of Mauritania and Senegal.

Mount Bonnell

Discover Mount Bonnell in Austin, Texas: Austin’s local mountain isn’t really a mountain at all.

Romitorio di Sant’Angelo in Lacu

Discover Romitorio di Sant'Angelo in Lacu in Albano Laziale, Italy: The ruins of a thousand-year-old hermitage are tucked away deep in the sloping forests of Albano Lake.

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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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