Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Mother Vine Scuppernong Wine

Discover Mother Vine Scuppernong Wine in Rose Hill, North Carolina: This sweet Southern elixir comes from what may be the oldest grape vine in North America.

Headstone of Anna Anderson

Discover Headstone of Anna Anderson in Charlottesville, Virginia: Anna Anderson spent most of her life claiming to be the lost Romanov child Anastasia.

Temple de Lanleff

Discover Temple de Lanleff in Lanleff, France: The precise origins of this pink sandstone temple are unknown.

Austrått Pyramid

Discover Austrått Pyramid in Ørland, Norway: This strange pyramid is a unique feature of the Austrått Manor.

The Museum Club

Discover The Museum Club in Flagstaff, Arizona: This 1930s log cabin began as a taxidermy museum but is now a popular country music venue.

Dark Matter Oddities & Artisan Collective

Discover Dark Matter Oddities & Artisan Collective in New Orleans, Louisiana: This macabre shop, filled with art, oddities, and taxidermy is hidden in the heart of the French Quarter.

Akiyoshido Cave

Discover Akiyoshido Cave in Mine, Japan: Approximately 300 million years ago, a massive coral reef existed in what is now the largest limestone cave in Japan.

Palace of Estoi

Discover Palace of Estoi in Faro, Portugal: The extravagance of Portugal’s "Pink Palace" resulted in a noble title being awarded to its owner.

Proteichisma on Erysichthonos Street

Discover Proteichisma on Erysichthonos Street in Athens, Greece: The ruins of this ancient fortification wall sit in the middle of a quiet, residential intersection.

Gryteskogen Troll Trees

Discover Gryteskogen Troll Trees in Lund NO, Sweden: This collection of Dwarf beech trees were once believed to be enchanted trolls in disguise.

Tourlida Islet

Discover Tourlida Islet in Tourlida, Greece: An islet filled with wooden houses where the open sea meets a lagoon.

Old Fort Park

Discover Old Fort Park in New Smyrna Beach, Florida: These mysterious ruins are hidden amid this sleepy coastal city.

Casa del Venado Azul

Discover Casa del Venado Azul in Mineral de Pozos, Mexico: A bed and breakfast, botanical garden, art gallery, academy, and workshop all in one.

Fountain of Three Storks

Discover Fountain of Three Storks in Minsk, Belarus: A sculpture of graceful storks sits atop this fountain in Independence Square.

Feria del Campo (Campo Fair)

Discover Feria del Campo (Campo Fair) in Madrid, Spain: These abandoned country fairgrounds are filled with replicas of Spanish monuments.

Corrales Marinos de Monkey Beach

Discover Corrales Marinos de Monkey Beach in Canoa, Ecuador: These unusual stone structures are actually fish traps crafted by an ancient civilization.

Sope Creek Paper Mill Ruins

Discover Sope Creek Paper Mill Ruins in Marietta, Georgia: The ruins of a paper mill destroyed during the Civil War still tower over a tributary of the Chattahoochee River.

The Gobbins

Discover The Gobbins in Larne, Northern Ireland: A Victorian marvel of engineering is now a 21st-century tourist attraction.

Isola del Garda

Discover Isola del Garda in San felice del Benaco, Italy: A small island in Lake Garda that was used as a burial site, pirate hideout, and a monastery.

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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