Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Edstone Aqueduct

Discover Edstone Aqueduct in Warwickshire, England: The longest canal aqueduct in England was built without a plan to get water past the moving boats.

Old Two Spot Logging Train

Discover Old Two Spot Logging Train in Flagstaff, Arizona: Crafted in 1911, this steam locomotive spent its entire working life in Flagstaff.

Khari Baoli Rooftop

Discover Khari Baoli Rooftop in New Delhi, India: The roof of one of the world’s largest spice markets provides a grand view over the neighborhood's glorious bustle.

Christiansø

Discover Christiansø in Gudhjem, Denmark: This remote island, home to the easternmost point in Denmark, once hosted pirates and a military fortress.

Estrella de los Deseos (Wishing Star)

Discover Estrella de los Deseos (Wishing Star) in Córdoba, Spain: Touching this little fossil embedded in the wall of a grand mosque-cathedral may make your wishes come true.

Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve

Discover Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve in Bairawa, Nepal: Nepal’s last remaining population of wild water buffalo and many other rare species call this reserve home.

Cabo Girão Skywalk

Discover Cabo Girão Skywalk in Câmara de Lobos, Portugal: This glass skywalk offers vertiginous views down the volcanic cliffs to the beach below.

The Weeping Woman

Discover The Weeping Woman in Parkersburg, West Virginia: A melancholy guardian doubles as a judicious godmother to this small town cemetery.

Torre Massimiliana

Discover Torre Massimiliana in Venice, Italy: This sturdy, circular stronghold served as one of the forts that protected the Venetian Lagoon.

Palladium Shopping Mall

Discover Palladium Shopping Mall in Prague, Czechia: Throughout this shopping mall are medieval ruins that were discovered during the mall's construction.

Babe Ruth Field at Gibbons Commons

Discover Babe Ruth Field at Gibbons Commons in Baltimore, Maryland: The "Sultan of Swat" once attended a school at the site of this baseball field.

Brooklyn Mine

Discover Brooklyn Mine in Twentynine Palms, California: While you're unlikely to find riches here these days, this remote mine is a time capsule of the Gold Rush era.

Xmuch’haltún Botanical Garden

Discover Xmuch'haltún Botanical Garden in Campeche, Mexico: The walls of a colonial-era fort encircle a small, tropical assortment of plant life.

Museum of the Central Hospital of Porto

Discover Museum of the Central Hospital of Porto in Porto, Portugal: When this former hospital pharmacy closed in 2013 it already looked like a museum, so they turned it into one.

Gankutsu Hotel

Discover Gankutsu Hotel in Yoshimi, Japan: Chiseled out of a sandstone cliff, one farmer's unfinished art project lies in ruins.

Ghost Road Scenic Drive

Discover Light of Saratoga in Saratoga, Texas: This eight-mile stretch of road gets its name from a local legend about a lost soul searching for his head.

‘Humor’

Discover 'Humor' in Stockholm, Sweden: This unique sculpture is often overlooked by pedestrians.

The Hill of Uisneach

Discover The Hill of Uisneach in Westmeath, Ireland: The symbolic center of Ireland, this summit also offers panoramic views of the countryside.

Spaceship UFO House

Discover Spaceship UFO House in Albuquerque, New Mexico: Also known as the Bug House, this terrestrial UFO is actually the residence and studio of architect Bart Prince.

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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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