Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Inscape Arts and Cultural Center

Discover Inscape Arts and Cultural Center in Seattle, Washington: This former INS center is now home to a thriving community of artists, from performers to painters to architects.

Miniatures & Curious Collections Museum

Discover Miniatures & Curious Collections Museum in Roswell, New Mexico: Inside this small museum resides a strange mix of miniature collections passed down over time.

Berobero no Kamisama

Discover Berobero no Kamisama in Kochi, Japan: This extremely naked God of Drunkards welcomes visitors to Kochi Station.

Museo Menonita (Mennonite Museum)

Discover Museo Menonita (Mennonite Museum) in Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Mexico: A place to learn about the history and culture of Mexico's largest Anabaptist group.

Sleight Family Graveyard

Discover Sleight Family Graveyard in Staten Island, New York: The final resting place of some of Staten Island's earliest settlers and their descendants.

Jisshi Park

Discover Jisshi Park in Tokyo, Japan: This small park holds what remains of a former prison and execution ground.

Schaezler Fountain

Discover Schaezler Fountain in Augsburg, Germany: This fountain tucked away in a park is the focal point of the only "Green Basilica" in Germany.

Arroyo Bird Park

Discover Arroyo Bird Park in San Juan Capistrano, California: This park is home to well over 100 handmade birdhouses.

Bashamichi Station Concourse

Discover Bashamichi Station Concourse in Yokohama, Japan: Remnants of an old bank adorn this station's brick wall.

Beecher Island

Discover Beecher Island in Wray, Colorado: The site of a minor battle might have been forgotten if not for one participant’s famous family and the death of a respected warrior.

Monfort Fortress

Discover Monfort Fortress in Eilon, Israel: A secluded fortress from the days of the Crusades that offers breathtaking views.

Temple of Artemis Brauronia

Discover Temple of Artemis Brauronia in Markopoulo Mesogeas, Greece: This seaside sanctuary was once one of the most important religious sites for women in ancient Greece.

Napoleon Commemorative Stone

Discover Napoleon Commemorative Stone in Plymouth, England: These stones mark 200 years of friendship between Britain and France following the Napoleonic Wars.

The Meadows Mural

Discover The Meadows Mural in Edinburgh, Scotland: An artistic interpretation of the history of a Scottish park, combining poetry with anthropomorphic animals.

Ponte Lupo

Discover Ponte Lupo in Gallicano nel Lazio, Italy: A colossal aqueduct from the second century B.C., deeply hidden in a gorge on the outskirts of Rome.

Dalahästen

Discover Dalahästen in Avesta, Sweden: The world's biggest version of the popular Swedish souvenir.

Ashio Copper Mine

Discover Ashio Copper Mine in Nikko, Japan: The site of Japan's first major environmental disaster.

Punta Campanella

Discover Punta Campanella in Massa Lubrense, Italy: A crumbling watchtower and a lighthouse overlooks the site believed to be the Sirens' cliff in the "Odyssey.".

Tony DeMarco’s Living Room

Discover Tony DeMarco's Living Room in Phoenix, Arizona: The site of a popular piano lounge owned by a former world champion boxer is now a place to rent a truck.

Menu

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

PP ToS