Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Darwin and Wallace: A Nature & Fossil Store

Discover Darwin and Wallace: A Nature & Fossil Store in Altamonte Springs, Florida: Visitors to this shop will find fossils, minerals, meteorites, skeletons, oddities, and much more.

Casino Cosmopolita

Discover Casino Cosmopolita in San Rafael, Mexico: This former hotel and casino was part of a paper mill operation that was one of Mexico's largest employers.

Bangour Village Hospital

Discover Bangour Village Hospital in Dechmont, Scotland: This abandoned hospital village was once viewed as an innovative way to deal with mental illness.

Seegi Maja Restaurant

Discover Seegi Maja Restaurant in Pärnu, Estonia: This atmospheric spot in Pärnu's historic old town is located in a 17th-century almshouse.

Kingman Explosion Memorial

Discover Kingman Explosion Memorial in Kingman, Arizona: A memorial to the firefighters who died in an industrial disaster is housed in a small public park.

Felsenmeer Lauteral

Discover Felsenmeer Lauteral in Lautertal (Odenwald), Germany: This natural "sea of stones" was once used by the Romans as a quarry.

Precious Blood Cemetery

Discover Precious Blood Cemetery in Woonsocket, Rhode Island: This cemetery is home to numerous granite headstones that are works of art unto themselves.

Lyndhurst War Memorial

Discover Lyndhurst War Memorial in Lyndhurst, England: The famous Alice Liddell designed this memorial after losing her sons in World War I.

Old Stockbridge Market

Discover Old Stockbridge Market in Edinburgh, Scotland: The remnants of a facade from a 19th-century market stall emporium.

Temple of Portunus

Discover Temple of Portunus in Rome, Italy: This small, ancient Roman temple was once a church dedicated to the patron saint of penitents.

Shrine of Hercules Curinus

Discover Shrine of Hercules Curinus in Sulmona, Italy: The ruins of this temple were later chosen by Pope Celestine V to found an abbey and a hermitage.

Ferns of the World

Discover Ferns of the World in Decatur, Georgia: This collection of ferns from across the globe is the largest assortment in the United States.

Columbo Sahib’s Tomb

Discover Columbo Sahib’s Tomb in Dhaka, Bangladesh: Hidden under the thick tropical vegetation of a cemetery is the tomb of Columbo Sahib.

Mary Hardy MacArthur Memorial

Discover Mary Hardy MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia: The childhood home of the famous general's mother is now a small, walled garden.

Bearsden Roman Bathhouse

Discover Bearsden Roman Bathhouse in Glasgow, Scotland: Remnants of the Roman empire's northern frontier nestled in suburban Glasgow.

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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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