Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Colonia del Sacramento Lighthouse

Discover Colonia del Sacramento Lighthouse in Colonia Del Sacramento, Uruguay: Constructed on the ruins of a convent, this tower saved countless lives.

Intighet (Nothingness)

Discover Intighet (Nothingness) in Lund, Sweden: The indecision over what to place in this square was immortalized with a plaque.

Shrine to Gauchito Gil

Discover Shrine to Gauchito Gil in Mendoza, Argentina: This roadside memorial pays homage to Argentina's Outlaw Saint.

Chinese Burning Towers

Discover Chinese Burning Towers in Beechworth, Australia: Constructed in 1857, mourners used these towers to burn offerings of paper prayers and gifts for the afterlife.

Ascension Cathedral

Discover Ascension Cathedral in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria: Rebuilt several decades ago, its striking murals prevent it from being reconsecrated as a church.

Tin House

Discover Tin House in Ottawa, Ontario: Now a public art piece, this curious metal feature originally advertised a tinsmith's services.

Vicars’ Close

Discover Vicars' Close in Somerset, England: The oldest residential street in Europe also features an optical illusion.

State Theatre

Discover State Theatre in Bay City, Michigan: This indie movie theater is one of only three surviving Mayan-themed theaters designed by “Detroit’s greatest theater architect.”.

Platform 17 Memorial

Discover Platform 17 Memorial in Berlin, Germany: This platform is now a memorial dedicated to those who were deported during the Holocaust.

Benagil Caves

Discover Benagil Caves in Lagoa, Portugal: Perhaps the most spectacular grotto along the Algarve coastline.

Clarence the Crocodile

Discover Clarence the Crocodile in Whitby, England: The much-beloved mascot of a local museum.

Westward Ho!

Discover Westward Ho! in Westward Ho!, England: How did this lovely seaside English village come by such an unusual name?

The Felsted Hag

Discover The Felsted Hag in Felsted, England: This 400-year-old house tells a tale of witchcraft and woodwork.

Timbuctoo

Discover Timbuctoo in Smartsville, California: Once the largest town in eastern Yuba County now sits abandoned.

Ali’iolani Hale

Discover Ali’iolani Hale in Honolulu, Hawaii: Once the site of the Hawaiian monarchy, this building was originally designed as a palace.

Museum of Yugoslavia

Discover Museum of Yugoslavia in Belgrade, Serbia: A museum dedicated to the former country.

High Rock Canyon Wilderness

Discover High Rock Canyon Wilderness in Gerlach, Nevada: Many generations of travelers have passed through the steep, smooth walls of this canyon.

Menu

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