Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Eleanor Rigby’s Grave

Discover Eleanor Rigby's Grave in Liverpool, England: What do we know about the real woman behind one of the Beatles' most famous songs?

Isla de Lobos

Discover Isla de Lobos in Uruguay: This small island off the coast of Uruguay hosts the largest colony of sea lions and fur seals in the southern hemisphere.

Lowell Mausoleum

Discover Lowell Mausoleum in Flagstaff, Arizona: The final resting place of the businessman-turned-astronomer who helped discover Pluto stands near his observatory.

Ariel-Foundation Park

Discover Ariel-Foundation Park in Mt Vernon, Ohio: Constructed from the ruins of a former glass factory, this park incorporates the old with the new.

St. Elmo Ghost Town

Discover St. Elmo Ghost Town in Nathrop, Colorado: This nearly abandoned town was once a thriving mining community until a series of fires.

Mason’s Memorial Pillars

Discover Mason's Memorial Pillars in Edinburgh, Scotland: A rare remnant of an exposition that took place nearby at the end of the 19th-century.

Gyeongju Seokbinggo

Discover Gyeongju Seokbinggo in Gyeongju, South Korea: An early Korean refrigerator.

Lough Neagh Torpedo Test Platform

Discover Lough Neagh Torpedo Test Platform in Antrim, Northern Ireland: This former World War II torpedo testing location is now an important nesting site for migratory birds.

Mercur Cemetery

Discover Mercur Cemetery in West Mercur, Utah: This creepy, abandoned cemetery is all that remains of a once booming mining town.

Half-Century-Old Soup

Discover Half-Century-Old Soup in Bangkok, Thailand: At a Bangkok bistro, one pot of beef stew has been cooking non-stop for more than 45 years.

The House Between Two Rocks

Discover Castel Meur in Plougrescant, France: A small house sits between two huge rocks, with its back to the sea.

Victory Memorial to Soviet Army

Discover Victory Memorial to Soviet Army in Riga, Latvia: This controversial monument was designed to lionize the Red Army, but also disheartened the Latvian people.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga Skull

Discover St. Aloysius Gonzaga Skull in Castiglione delle Stiviere, Italy: The skull of this patron saint is kept in a shrine located in his hometown.

Warsaw Pegasus Sculptures

Discover Warsaw Pegasus Sculptures in Warsaw, Poland: This colorful and quirky set of pegasus sculptures celebrate the works of poet Zbigniew Herbert.

Tophet of Motya

Discover Tophet of Motya in Marsala, Italy: These ruins of a Phoenician sanctuary in Sicily have a dark history.

Paseo Yortuque

Discover Paseo Yortuque in Chiclayo, Peru: Stroll among dozens of statues depicting pre-Columbian kings, gods, and supernatural beings.

Carolina Raptor Center

Discover Carolina Raptor Center in Huntersville, North Carolina: From golden eagles to peregrine falcons, this rehabilitation and education center is a haven for birds of prey.

Wheatley-Provident Hospital

Discover Wheatley-Provident Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri: The crumbling remains of the first Black-owned and operated hospital in Kansas City.

Great Auk Sculpture at Valahnúkamöl

Discover Great Auk Sculpture at Valahnúkamöl in Iceland: This five-foot-tall bronze bird is a memorial to a species that was hunted out of existence.

Lares Hot Springs

Discover Lares Hot Springs in Lares, Peru: Bathe in these natural hot springs located high in the Andes Mountains.

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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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