Archives: Atlas Obscuras

‘Comic Fountain’

Discover 'Comic Fountain' in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany: An abstract and eyecatching clock/fountain is the centerpiece of this little-known German city.

Old Crow Wing

Discover Old Crow Wing in Brainerd, Minnesota: This once prosperous community was home to European settlers and the Ojibwe.

Ntaba ka Ndoda

Discover Ntaba ka Ndoda in Lower Rabula Emmangweni, South Africa: A monument with a complex history dedicated to one of South Africa's greatest heroes.

Samkönade Trafikljusen

Discover Samkönade Trafikljusen in Stockholm, Sweden: A temporary art piece to celebrate LGBTQ Pride is now a permanent part of Stockholm's traffic landscape.

Seized Endangered Species Exhibit

Discover Seized Endangered Species Exhibit in Brisbane, Australia: An exhibit of endangered species confiscated from smugglers and passengers.

Vintage Market of Pugliano

Discover Vintage Market of Pugliano in Ercolano, Italy: For decades, vendors have sold clothes once worn by American soldiers who stormed Italy in the 1940s.

Japon Louvre Sculpture Museum

Discover Japon Louvre Sculpture Museum in Tsu, Japan: A lesser-known sister to Paris's world-famous museum, located within a Buddhist sculpture paradise.

The Shetland Bus Memorial

Discover The Shetland Bus Memorial in Scalloway, Scotland: This memorial celebrates the legacy of the British-Norwegian resistance movement during World War II.

Mary Rowlandson’s Monument

Discover Mary Rowlandson's Monument in Lancaster, Massachusetts: Mary Rowlandson's kidnapping ordeal became one of the nation's first best-selling books.

Ellis Chapel

Discover Ellis Chapel in Cambridge, Ontario: This mid-19th century chapel is a tiny treasure for weary travelers.

Rainbow Bar & Grill

Discover Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood, California: An Italian restaurant became a rock-and-roll hangout and the lair of the "Hollywood vampires.".

Bunker-703

Discover Bunker-703 in Moscow, Russia: A former special storage facility for documents during the Cold War.

‘Twins’

Discover 'Twins' in Brighton, England: These shopping center benches are actually a modern art installation.

Murals of Dozza

Discover Murals of Dozza in Dozza, Italy: Since the 1960s, this small village has invited painters to decorate its walls.

Leonardo’s Horse Scale Model

Discover Leonardo's Horse Scale Model in Allentown, Pennsylvania: A smaller model of the Da Vinci sculpture that took 500 years to come to life.

James Chaine Burial Mound

Discover James Chaine Burial Mound in Larne, Northern Ireland: Buried upright and facing the sea, James Chaine transformed the town of Larne.

Marilyn Monroe Mural

Discover Marilyn Monroe Mural in Washington, D.C.: A tribute to the pop culture icon overlooks this Washington D.C. intersection.

Grič Tunnel

Discover Grič Tunnel in Zagreb, Croatia: A World War II evacuation tunnel turned into a history display of Croatian state and people.

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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

PP ToS