Archives: Atlas Obscuras

5 Fingers Observation Deck

Discover 5 Fingers Observation Deck in Obertraun, Austria: A breathtaking viewing platform over the Alps.

The Champion

Discover The Champion in London, England: This 19th-century pub features stained-glass windows celebrating Victorian-era "champions.".

Beauties & Hardships

Discover Beauties & Hardships in Agrilos, Greece: This quaint farm in the Peloponnese countryside hides an astonishing cache of antique curiosities.

The Bowder Stone

Discover The Bowder Stone in Borrowdale, England: A 2,000-ton rock resting in a state of a delicate balance.

George Stephenson Statue

Discover George Stephenson Statue in Chesterfield, England: One of the town's most famous residents, holding one of his most famous creations.

Tounj Bridge

Discover Tounj Bridge in Zdenac, Croatia: A unique two-level bridge designed to honor a king.

Cresta Aqueduct

Discover Cresta Aqueduct in Oroville, California: A picturesque example of brute-force engineering conquering nature.

The Los Angeles Times Bombing Memorial

Discover The Los Angeles Times Bombing Memorial in Los Angeles, California: This grand memorial remembers the 20 members of the Los Angeles Times killed when the office was bombed.

Anundshög

Discover Anundshög in Hökåsen-Badelunda, Sweden: This patch of land is home to Sweden's largest burial mound, allegedly belonging to a mythical king.

Guryongpo Japanese House Street

Discover Guryongpo Japanese House Street in Pohang-si, South Korea: Originally built by Japanese fishermen, this historic neighborhood has withstood the test of time.

Eremo di San Girolamo

Discover Eremo di San Girolamo in Italy: The 16th-century son of Sienese nobility carved this hermitage out of volcanic rock.

Radio and Television Slovakia

Discover Radio and Television Slovakia in Bratislava, Slovakia: The inverted pyramid design of this station stands out amid Bratislava's urban landscape.

The Oaks Disaster Memorial

Discover The Oaks Disaster Memorial in Yorkshire, England: A churchyard in Ardsley houses a memorial dedicated to the victims of England’s worst mining disaster.

Hotei Buddha

Discover Hotei Buddha in Konan, Japan: The largest privately owned statue of Buddha in Japan, built by a total amateur, with an unconventional look.

Bensousan Han

Discover Bensousan Han in Thessaloniki, Greece: An artistic melting pot inside an old roadside inn from the Ottoman era.

Ontario Place

Discover Ontario Place in Toronto, Ontario: An abandoned 1970s theme park that has been turned into a space for waterfront walking.

CopenHill

Discover CopenHill in Copenhagen, Denmark: The world's first combination ski slope and power plant.

Ibrox Stadium

Discover Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland: Home to one of the most popular teams in Scottish football history.

Tremont Nail Company

Discover Tremont Nail Company in Wareham, Massachusetts: The former home of the oldest nail maker in the United States was built on the ashes of a mill burned by the British.

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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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