Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Orange and Alexandria Railroad Culvert

Discover Orange and Alexandria Railroad Culvert in Springfield, Virginia: This little brick tunnel built by Confederate forces was used to conduct surprise attacks on the railroad.

Farr Cemetery

Discover Farr Cemetery in Pullman, Washington: A graveyard for early settlers, sometimes called Old Pioneer Cemetery, hidden in the woods on a hillside.

Terreti Bazaar

Discover Terreti Bazaar in Kolkata, India: For just a few hours each morning, this market serves specialties from the city's shrinking Chinese-Indian community.

RAF Tempsford Memorial Barn

Discover RAF Tempsford Memorial Barn in Everton, England: Set amid the remains of a secret WWII airfield, this barn was preserved as a memorial to Allied agents who parachuted into Europe.

Alcázar de Segovia

Discover Alcázar de Segovia in Segovia, Spain: This magnificent castle grew from a small Moorish fortress, and reportedly inspired two iconic Disney castles.

Dawson City Museum

Discover Dawson City Museum in Dawson City, Yukon: A lasting testament to the Klondike Gold Rush.

Mount Strachan Crash Site and Memorial

Discover Mount Strachan Crash Site and Memorial in West Vancouver, British Columbia: The scattered debris of a T-33 Canadian naval jet crash from 1963 now stands as a memorial.

Cornelius Low House

Discover Cornelius Low House in Piscataway, New Jersey: One of the last-standing and most prominent structures from a long-lost colonial port community.

The Coronation Stone

Discover The Coronation Stone in London, England: Seven English kings were crowned on this unassuming and largely ignored stone.

Amazake-chaya Tea House

Discover Amazake-chaya Tea House in Hakone, Japan: This teahouse's specialty has been unchanged for over 400 years.

Blanco Renaissance Museum

Discover Blanco Renaissance Museum in Kecamatan Ubud, Indonesia: Visitors to this museum will find architectural oddities, an art gallery, and an unlikely bird sanctuary.

Kailashnath Mahadev Statue

Discover Kailashnath Mahadev Statue in Sanga, Nepal: Nepal is home to the world’s tallest Shiva statue.

Beyer Stadium

Discover Beyer Stadium in Rockford, Illinois: This baseball diamond was home to the Rockford Peaches, a team featured in the hit film "A League of Their Own.".

St. Canute’s Cathedral

Discover St. Canute's Cathedral in Odense, Denmark: The last Viking king of Denmark is buried inside the crypt of this cathedral.

Devil’s Gate (Wyoming)

Discover Devil’s Gate (Wyoming) in Alcova, Wyoming: A devilishly named gorge that was a sign of salvation for many pioneers.

‘Sam’

Discover 'Sam' in Riga, Latvia: This statue is dedicated to the animal cosmonauts that perished during space flight experiments.

Merchiston Tower

Discover Merchiston Tower in Edinburgh, Scotland: A former medieval fortress, now home to Edinburgh Napier University, contains a rather risqué work of art.

Wilkes Street Tunnel

Discover Wilkes Street Tunnel in Alexandria, Virginia: This brick-lined pedestrian walkway was once a railway tunnel used during the Civil War.

Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center

Discover Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center in Salamanca, New York: This museum pays tribute to the largest group in the Iroquois Confederacy.

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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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