Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Ralph Foster Museum

Discover Ralph Foster Museum in Point Lookout, Missouri: This museum features the original car used on the Beverly Hillbillies sitcom.

Castell Dinas Bran

Discover Castell Dinas Bran in Denbighshire, Wales: These precariously placed ruins harken back to a 13th-century castle.

Monasterio de Santa Catalina

Discover Monasterio de Santa Catalina in Arequipa, Peru: This 16th-century monastery was founded to cloister the daughters of wealthy local families.

Retro Museum

Discover Retro Museum in Varna, Bulgaria: The Grand Mall in Varna hosts one of the biggest collections of Soviet-era paraphernalia in Bulgaria.

The Old Grammar School

Discover The Old Grammar School in Market Harborough, England: This iconic building was founded as a school for the impoverished, but became one for the sons of the local gentry.

‘Imaginary Elephants’

Discover 'Imaginary Elephants' in Nikko, Japan: These sculptures were created by a 17th-century artist who had never seen an elephant.

Maitighar Mandala

Discover Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu, Nepal: Hiding in plain sight near Kathmandu’s government center is a giant mandala that has become a locus for political protest.

St Tudno’s Church

Discover St Tudno's Church in Llandudno, Wales: This 6th-century church honors St. Tudno, the patron saint of Llandudno.

Avatar Secret Garden

Discover Avatar Secret Garden in Tanjung Bungah, Malaysia: A tropical rainforest designed to resemble a scene from the monumental film.

First Encounter Beach Plaque

Discover First Encounter Beach Plaque in Eastham, Massachusetts: This beautiful Cape Cod beach offers dazzling views and an interesting historical footnote.

‘Mustangs of Las Colinas’

Discover 'Mustangs of Las Colinas' in Irving, Texas: This strategically-placed fountain creates the magnificent illusion of mustangs galloping across a river.

Concrete Plant Park

Discover Concrete Plant Park in Bronx, New York: A riverfront park that both remediated and preserved its industrial past.

Palazzo San Giorgio

Discover Palazzo San Giorgio in Genoa, Italy: Once home to one of the oldest banks in the world, this building is also where Marco Polo's famous travelogue was written.

Dulsie Bridge

Discover Dulsie Bridge in Nairn, Scotland: One of the most spectacular 18th-century bridges in Scotland.

Ancient Ruins on Selley Street

Discover Ancient Ruins on Selley Street in Athens, Greece: These ancient ruins hide in plain sight next to a dessert shop.

Edivo Vina Winery

Discover Edivo Vina Winery in Drače, Croatia: Dive for drinks at Croatia's first and only underwater winery.

Sibebe Rock

Discover Sibebe Rock in Mbabane, Eswatini: This granite mountain is the largest rock in Africa and the second-largest monolith in the world.

The Perch Inn

Discover The Perch Inn in Binsey, England: This historic pub is a hidden gem for fans of Lewis Carroll.

Mara Kannon

Discover Mara Kannon in Nagato, Japan: This phallic temple was erected in the forest to honor the tragic death of a samurai lord's son.

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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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