Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Hot Springs Beer

Discover Hot Springs Beer in Hot Springs, Arkansas: This Arkansas town is known for its gangster history, its healing waters, and now its brews.

Vera Cruz

Discover Vera Cruz in Santa Barbara County, California: This house is a mosaic of tiled artwork sourced from local artists.

Surrey Dive

Discover Surrey Dive in Box Hill, Australia: This former brickworks pit is full of legends about its murky depths.

The Allaire Dinosaurs

Discover The Allaire Dinosaurs in Allenwood, New Jersey: Dinosaurs, magic, and wonder are hidden amid the forests of Allaire State Park.

Clements Wood

Discover Clements Wood in Mid and East Antrim, Northern Ireland: This woodland area is a lasting tribute to the Queen Mother.

Mandela House

Discover Mandela House in Soweto, South Africa: Nelson Mandela lived here with his family from 1946 until his arrest in 1962.

Germantown White House

Discover Germantown White House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The oldest surviving presidential residence in the United States.

The Gallery Whitehead

Discover The Gallery Whitehead in Whitehead, Northern Ireland: This Edwardian style home doubles as a magnificent local art gallery.

Hyder

Discover Hyder in Hyder, Alaska: The easternmost town in Alaska can only be accessed from Canada.

Stuðlagil Canyon

Discover Stuðlagil Canyon in Eiriksstadhir, Iceland: This canyon is comprised of gorgeous waters and magnificent basalt columns.

Hartsville Nuclear Plant

Discover Hartsville Nuclear Plant in Hartsville, Tennessee: This abandoned nuclear cooling tower casts a shadow over a bucolic town.

The Rocking Stone

Discover The Rocking Stone in Islandmagee, Northern Ireland: The stone that rocks no more.

Retreat Tower

Discover Retreat Tower in Brattleboro, Vermont: Designed as a place for patients to take in the scenery, this tower has a dark history.

Rock Monastery of Shashkunite

Discover Rock Monastery of Shashkunite in Provadia, Bulgaria: Crossing a suspension bridge above a forest is the only way to reach this 12th-century monastery.

Palace of Portici

Discover Palace of Portici in Portici, Italy: Before the more famous Royal Palace of Caserta, the king of Naples first commissioned this overlooked residence.

Piazza Matteotti

Discover Piazza Matteotti in Imola, Italy: This Renaissance square was at the center of Leonardo da Vinci's map, the first ichnographic ever.

Great Camp Santanoni

Discover Great Camp Santanoni in Newcomb, New York: Hike deep into the woods to explore this Gilded Age masterpiece.

San Marino Jinja

Discover San Marino Jinja in Serravalle, San Marino: The only Shinto shrine in Europe that has been officially sanctioned by Japan.

‘Gadebuscher Münzschläger’

Discover 'Gadebuscher Münzschläger' in Gadebusch, Germany: This unusual sculpture depicts how coins were made when minting was done by hand.

Pine Ridge Pet Cemetery

Discover Pine Ridge Pet Cemetery in Dedham, Massachusetts: This memorial garden is the final resting place of many beloved pets including that of a famous explorer.

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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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