Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Langtang Village Memorial

Discover Langtang Village Memorial in Helambu, Nepal: This memorial honors a village that was destroyed during a 2015 earthquake.

Leicester’s Church

Discover Leicester's Church in Denbigh, Wales: Also known as "Leicester's Folly," this almost cathedral was left unfinished and in ruins.

Lady Wimborne Bridge

Discover Lady Wimborne Bridge in Oakley, England: A sense of bewilderment encounters visitors when they happen upon this former railway bridge.

Mary, Queen of Scots Plaque

Discover Mary, Queen of Scots Plaque in Edinburgh, Scotland: This tablet indicates where the tragic monarch returned to begin her tumultuous downfall.

Spomenik Šljivi

Discover Spomenik Šljivi in Blace, Serbia: A Serbian monument to plums.

Rotonda di San Lorenzo

Discover Rotonda di San Lorenzo in Mantua, Italy: The oldest church in Mantua was buried for centuries under the facades of other structures.

Endicott Rock

Discover Endicott Rock in Laconia, New Hampshire: Believed by many to be the oldest surviving public monument in the United States.

Vampa: Vampire & Paranormal Museum

Discover Vampa: Vampire & Paranormal Museum in Lambertville, New Jersey: An extraordinary collection of vampire-themed antiques lurks on the second floor of a store.

Jelgava Palace

Discover Jelgava Palace in Jelgava, Latvia: This ducal residence was once home to a future Russian empress and a French king in exile.

Wooden Quilt Doors

Discover Wooden Quilt Doors in New Orleans, Louisiana: An artist weaves "wooden quilts" with scraps salvaged from his Katrina-damaged home in Tremé.

Snake Rock

Discover Snake Rock in Marlborough, Connecticut: This roadside wonder is as mysterious as it is beloved.

Crooked Slide Park

Discover Crooked Slide Park in Barry's Bay, Ontario: Inside this park, an engineering marvel from the early 20th-century still stands.

Church of Agia Fotini Mantineias

Discover Church of Agia Fotini Mantineias in Tripoli, Greece: This church combines Christian, Byzantine, and ancient Greek architectural elements.

Wreck of the Steamship Helena

Discover Wreck of the Steamship Helena in Bigfork, Montana: A once celebrated industrial wonder now lurks in a quiet corner of Flathead Lake.

Rodalquilar Gold Mine

Discover Rodalquilar Gold Mine in Rodalquilar, Spain: This abandoned gold mine found a second life as a post-apocalyptic film set.

The Trongate Cherub

Discover The Trongate Cherub in Glasgow, Scotland: An angelic, yet demonic-looking figurine presides over one of Glasgow's most ancient streets.

Flateyri Bookstore

Discover Flateyri Bookstore in Flateyri, Iceland: The oldest bookstore in Iceland.

Anclote Key Lighthouse

Discover Anclote Key Lighthouse in Anclote Key, Florida: Though it may look like it’s missing its outer shell, this skeletal cast-iron tower was built to withstand wind and waves.

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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