Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Nk’Mip Cellars

Discover Nk'Mip Cellars in Osoyoos, British Columbia: North America's first Indigenous-owned winery is located within Canada's only desert-like ecosystem.

Tapi Tapi Ice Cream

Discover Tapi Tapi Ice Cream in Cape Town, South Africa: The frozen treats at this Cape Town parlor are inspired by Africa's food cultures.

Cementerio del Andinista

Discover Cementerio del Andinista in Luján de Cuyo, Argentina: A cemetery dedicated to the mountaineers who perished climbing Mount Aconcagua.

Gamsutl

Discover Gamsutl in Gamsutl', Russia: Propped high atop the peak of Mount Gamsutlmeer, this abandoned village is one of the oldest settlements in the region.

Stockholm Metro Ventilation Art

Discover Stockholm Metro Ventilation Art in Stockholm, Sweden: Small Easter eggs are hidden in the ventilation holes of the city's newest trains.

Charles Dickens’ Door and Mirror

Discover Charles Dickens' Door and Mirror in Boston, Massachusetts: These items are all that remain from the room used by the author during his second tour of the U.S.

Bidwell Bar Bridge

Discover Bidwell Bar Bridge in Oroville, California: California's first suspension bridge.

Peralta Adobe

Discover Peralta Adobe in San Jose, California: The oldest house in the capital of Silicon Valley.

Sybil Ludington Statue

Discover Sybil Ludington Statue in Danbury, Connecticut: A statue commemorating a 16-year old girl's nighttime ride to raise a militia against attacking British troops.

The Flume Trail

Discover The Flume Trail in Incline Village, Nevada: A breathtaking 19th-century trail overlooks Lake Tahoe.

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.

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