Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Charlie’s Aeroplane

Discover Charlie's Aeroplane in Murray Town, Australia: One man’s legacy soars high on the wings of a miniature plane.

Joliet Army Ammunition Plant

Discover Joliet Army Ammunition Plant in Wilmington, Illinois: This national park dedicated to the tallgrass prairie ecosystem still displays its military past.

1 O’Clock Time Signal

Discover 1 O'Clock Time Signal in Sheffield, England: The once-a-day siren is a reminder of the days before time was standardized.

Roberson Mansion

Discover Roberson Mansion in Binghamton, New York: An allegedly haunted testament to a local businessman's desire for status, posterity, and charity.

The Replica of Fet-Mats

Discover The Replica of Fet-Mats in Falun, Sweden: A reproduction of a mysteriously preserved body found in the 18th-century and put on display for years before burial.

Fort Hensel

Discover Fort Hensel in Malborghetto Valbruna, Italy: The hilltop ruins of a border fortification in the Italian Alps that was much fought over.

The Kingsclere Bed Bug

Discover The Kingsclere Bed Bug in Kingsclere, England: After a night ravaged by bedbugs, it's said King John ordered the creation of this weathervane.

Shrine of the Immaculate Virgin

Discover Shrine of the Immaculate Virgin in Staten Island, New York: Devotional offerings and pleas for intercession are left at this Depression-era shrine inside a nature preserve.

Caves of Monte Castillo

Discover Caves of Monte Castillo in Puente Viesgo, Spain: The walls of these four caverns are filled with art that dates back to the earliest human presence in Europe.

The Original Ornäsbjork

Discover The Original Ornäsbjork in Borlänge, Sweden: A semi-sterile mutant birch that became Sweden's national tree.

Never Again Statue

Discover Never Again Statue in Albadarr, The Gambia: A unique, eye-catching statue that carries an important message of hope.

Lake Akan Ainu Kotan

Discover Lake Akan Ainu Kotan in Kushiro, Japan: This village is home to the largest existing settlement of the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Japan.

Glenwood Institute

Discover Glenwood Institute in Matawan, New Jersey: A condo complex once housed a boarding school with the 24th U.S. Vice President among its notable alumni.

Silverpilen (Silver Arrow)

Discover Silverpilen (Silver Arrow) in Nordingrå, Sweden: Stockholm's famed ghost train is now on display at an art park in northern Sweden.

Fa’side Castle

Discover Fa'side Castle in East Lothian, Scotland: A historic fortification critical to Anglo-Scottish conflicts now serves as a bed and breakfast.

The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park

Discover The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park in Indianapolis, Indiana: This whimsical park encourages its visitors and wildlife to roam on and around the various works of art.

Raton Iridium Layer

Discover Raton Iridium Layer in Raton, New Mexico: This unassuming layer of clay boasts an out-of-this-world origin story.

IBM Building 025

Discover IBM Building 025 in San Jose, California: A lonely monument to the original Silicon Valley tech campus.

Passau Dachshund Museum

Discover Passau Dachshund Museum in Passau, Germany: The world's first and only museum dedicated to Dachshunds.

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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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