Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Westinghouse Atom Smasher

Discover Westinghouse Atom Smasher in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: This icon of the Atomic Age now lays dormant.

Biblioteca Capitolare of Verona

Discover Biblioteca Capitolare of Verona in Verona, Italy: One of the oldest libraries in the world is still operating and contains the oldest existing document in the Italian language.

Winderbourne Mansion

Discover Winderbourne Mansion in Boyds, Maryland: This abandoned Victorian-style house was built in 1884.

Stawamus Chief

Discover Stawamus Chief in Squamish, British Columbia: As you overlook the Howe Sound and the town of Squamish, your breath will be taken away by its beauty or the stairs… probably all the stairs.

Rivendell

Discover Rivendell in Upper Hutt, New Zealand: You may recognize this beautiful grove within Kaitoke Regional Park as location of the house of Elrond.

Valerian Wall at Niche Hotel

Discover Valerian Wall at Niche Hotel in Athens, Greece: The ruins of an ancient fortification wall sit in front of and underneath this boutique hotel.

Bolghar

Discover Bolghar in Spassky District, Russia: During the Soviet era, the medieval capital of Volga Bulgaria served as a substitute for Mecca.

Walt Disney’s Chicago Birthplace

Discover Walt Disney's Chicago Birthplace in Chicago, Illinois: A chance to follow in the footsteps of the word's most legendary animator.

Ruins of Sauran

Discover Ruins of Sauran in Sauran, Kazakhstan: This was once the largest city in Kazakhstan, and a major stop on the Silk Road.

Hermitage of Saint Michael the Archangel

Discover Eremo di San Michele Arcangelo (Hermitage of Saint Michael the Archangel) in Formia, Italy: Hidden in a high mountain cave, this hermitage dates back to the ninth century.

Keramat Bukit Kasita

Discover Keramat Bukit Kasita in Singapore: This royal shrine and cemetery is hidden amidst modern public housing.

First Roma Stolpersteine

Discover First Roma Stolpersteine in Slatina, Czechia: These small, brass stones commemorate the first Roma victims of the Holocaust.

La Conquistadora, Our Lady of Conquering Love

Discover La Conquistadora, Our Lady of Conquering Love in Santa Fe, New Mexico: A small side chapel in Santa Fe's basilica is home to the oldest statute of the Virgin Mary in North America.

Porta Saracena

Discover Porta Saracena in Segni, Italy: The hilltop town of Segni was once home to an ancient Roman colony and garrison.

The Visiter Memorial

Discover The Visiter Memorial in Robin Hood's Bay, England: This plaque commemorates an amazing 19th-century sea rescue.

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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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