Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Hypnotic Turtle DreamBox

Discover Hypnotic Turtle DreamBox in Broomfield, Colorado: This drive-by, rotating mini-gallery is nestled in the suburbs of Colorado.

Ely S. Parker’s Grave

Discover Ely S. Parker's Grave in Buffalo, New York: An unprepossessing stone marks the last resting place of one of the most accomplished Native Americans in history.

‘The Sockman’

Discover 'The Sockman' in Loughborough, England: This bare, bronze lad in a lone sock sits in the middle of Loughborough’s town center.

St John’s Arch Cathedral

Discover St John’s Arch Cathedral in Warsaw, Poland: The last king of Poland was interred in this church nearly 200 years after his death.

Sheepwash Pen and Lambs’ Bank

Discover Sheepwash Pen and Lambs' Bank in Ashford in the Water, England: This unique creation was used to house and wash sheep prior to shearing.

The Camposanto

Discover The Camposanto in Pisa, Italy: Next to the Leaning Tower of Pisa is a cemetery home to ancient sarcophagi and disturbing murals.

Northern Lighthouse Board

Discover Northern Lighthouse Board in Edinburgh, Scotland: A miniature of a lighthouse acts as a beacon for what transpires inside this location.

Srpski Holywood

Discover Srpski Holywood in Boljkovci, Serbia: A Hollywood-sign replica with a typo on a remote hillside.

Belfort Sluis

Discover Belfort Sluis in Sluis, Netherlands: This bell tower is the only one of its kind in the Netherlands and was a symbol of prestige.

Byrsa Hill

Discover Byrsa Hill in Carthage, Tunisia: An ancient Phoenician citadel once stood at the site where Queen Dido first landed, according to legend.

El Cristo de la Habana

Discover El Cristo de la Habana in Havana, Cuba: A colossal statue with a controversial past, forgotten for more than 30 years.

Bardia National Park

Discover Bardia National Park in Nepal: This park is the prime habitat for Nepal’s Bengal tigers.

Wind Phone

Discover Wind Phone in Marshall, North Carolina: This disconnected phone allows words to travel in the wind to deceased loved ones.

Uravan

Discover Uravan in Uravan, Colorado: Only a few signs remain of the buried Colorado mining town that supplied the uranium for the first atomic bomb.

John Eliot Memorial

Discover John Eliot Memorial in Newton, Massachusetts: Eliot was the first missionary to produce religious text for Algonquians in their own language.

The Appalachian Trail Shoe Tree

Discover The Appalachian Trail Shoe Tree in Blairsville, Georgia: An eerie site of reverence for those who have completed an epic journey.

Monument to Orange

Discover Monument to Orange in Odesa, Ukraine: An artful memorial to 4,000 fateful oranges.

Basilica of San Giorgio in Velabro

Discover Basilica of San Giorgio in Velabro in Rome, Italy: This medieval church in Rome was almost destroyed following a terrorist attack in 1993.

Andersonville National Historic Site

Discover Andersonville National Historic Site in Andersonville, Georgia: The site of the notorious Camp Sumter Prison is now a peaceful memorial.

Smoky Mountain Knife Works

Discover Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville, Tennessee: While knives are the main feature in this store, visitors will also find dinosaur bones and meteorites.

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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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