Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Halvikhula

Discover Halvikhula in Hellvik, Norway: The largest cave in Northern Europe.

Ice Age Glacial Exhibit

Discover Ice Age Glacial Exhibit in Ithaca, New York: This exhibit allows visitors to wander through the interior of a replica Ice Age glacial cave.

Antoninus and Faustina Temple

Discover Antoninus and Faustina Temple in Rome, Italy: An ancient Roman temple first dedicated to an emperor's wife is now a church.

Robert Jackson Center

Discover Robert Jackson Center in Jamestown, New York: This institution pays tribute to an associate justice who protected civil rights and prosecuted Nazis.

Casas Típicas de Santana

Discover Casas Típicas de Santana in Santana, Portugal: These small, triangular, colorful houses are a staple of Madeira Island.

Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate

Discover Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate in York, England: This medieval church is not only notable for its architecture, but also its connection with LGBTQ+ history.

Hexenbürgermeisterhaus

Discover Hexenbürgermeisterhaus in Lemgo, Germany: This ornate Weser Renaissance house was also the home of an infamous witch hunter.

Römermuseum

Discover Römermuseum in Vienna, Austria: This museum is dedicated to the little known ancient Roman history of Vienna.

Conger Bread

Discover Conger Bread in Galway, Ireland: After a traumatic encounter with a six-foot eel, one Galway baker started making a daily loaf of sourdough in its shape.

Glasgow Sherbet Factory Ruins

Discover Glasgow Sherbet Factory Ruins in Glasgow, Scotland: These ruins have been linked to a sherbet factory that exploded, but the story may be entirely fictional.

The Griswold Inn

Discover The Griswold Inn in Essex, Connecticut: British troops and Prohibition couldn’t stop this spot from becoming one of the United States' oldest continuously-run taverns.

Devil’s Tree

Discover Devil's Tree in Bernards Township, New Jersey: An allegedly cursed tree represents a town's reckoning with a racist past.

Casa Romuli

Discover Casa Romuli in Rome, Italy: These hut foundations are believed to be the residence of Romulus, founder of Rome.

Emoji Stained Glass Windows

Discover Emoji Stained Glass Windows in Malmö, Sweden: These unique stained glass windows were designed by local children using a modern flair.

Maritime Silk Road Museum

Discover Maritime Silk Road Museum in Yangjiang, China: Inside this museum is an ongoing excavation of an ancient shipwreck.

Hornet Balls

Discover Hornet Balls in Goldvein, Virginia: These massive concrete balls were used to mine gold in Virginia.

Yarra Bend Asylum Pillar

Discover Yarra Bend Asylum Pillar in Fairfield, Australia: This lone pillar is all that remains of a 19th-century asylum.

Pons Fabricius

Discover Pons Fabricius in Rome, Italy: This is the oldest Roman-made bridge in the city still existing in its original state.

International Mountain Museum

Discover International Mountain Museum in Pokhara, Nepal: A museum with a window view of the Himalayas and an on-site climbing wall.

Saruhashi Bridge

Discover Saruhashi Bridge in Otsuki, Japan: According to legends, this bridge was crafted after monkeys formed a body-bridge across the gorge.

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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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