Archives: Atlas Obscuras

“Cottage” Gas Station

Discover "Cottage" Gas Station in Ottawa, Ontario: This defunct Champlain Oil service station harkens back to the early days of automobiles.

The Painted Room Oxford

Discover The Painted Room Oxford in Oxford, England: This hidden 13th-century tavern room has a few Shakespearean connections.

Feuermelder

Discover Feuermelder in Berlin, Germany: A historic fire call point.

Witch’s Hat Pavilion

Discover Witch's Hat Pavilion in Reading, Pennsylvania: This semi-spooky remnant of an abandoned hotel provides fantastic views.

The Praying Shell

Discover The Praying Shell in Bolton-le-Sands, England: A limestone sculpture of a praying man resides over the site where 23 Chinese cockle pickers died.

Tower Bridge

Discover Tower Bridge in Sacramento, California: Art Deco stylings conceal the true nature of this bridge.

Njupeskärs Vattenfall

Discover Njupeskärs Vattenfall in Älvdalen S, Sweden: Believed to be the country's tallest waterfall, the Njupeskär is actually much smaller.

Orchard Heritage Park

Discover Orchard Heritage Park in Sunnyvale, California: 800 apricot trees honor Silicon Valley's agricultural history.

The Portland Observatory

Discover The Portland Observatory in Portland, Maine: The only remaining historic maritime signal station in the United States.

Bateshwar Temple Complex

Discover Bateshwar Temple Complex in Morena, India: This wonderland of ancient temples has been recently painstakingly reconstructed.

Eric Morecambe Statue

Discover Eric Morecambe Statue in Morecambe, England: Dedicated to the legendary comedian Eric Morecambe depicting his iconic "Bring Me Sunshine" stance.

Freshlist’s Seasonal Produce Clock

Discover Freshlist's Seasonal Produce Clock in Charlotte, North Carolina: A year-long seasonal produce clock highlighting a variety of fruits and vegetables from across the Piedmont region.

The Count’s House

Discover The Count's House in Durham, England: A rather grand, but tiny, folly on the banks of the River Wear associated with a Polish count.

The Three Arrows

Discover The Three Arrows in Bologna, Italy: Stuck in the arcade of Casa Isolani are three arrows of mysterious origins.

Alter Floßhafen (Former Raft Port)

Discover Alter Floßhafen (Former Raft Port) in Augsburg, Germany: Next to the well-known retaining weir "Hochablass" is the former raft port for the city of Augsburg.

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