Archives: Atlas Obscuras

St. Mary’s Church

Discover St. Mary's Church in Fairfax Station, Virginia: The most historic church in Fairfax County played a role in the creation of the American Red Cross.

Hatch the Mary Rose Dog

Discover Hatch the Mary Rose Dog in H M Naval Base, England: Discovered on a shipwreck after more than 400 years, this Renaissance ratter tells a very waggly tale.

Bling-Bling for the People

Discover Bling-Bling for the People in Stocksund, Sweden: Crystal chandeliers brighten up this dark underpass.

La Starza

Discover La Starza in Italy: This site marks the oldest known settlement in Campania, inhabited around 9,000 years ago.

Air Conditioned Village

Discover Air Conditioned Village in Austin, Texas: This unassuming North Austin neighborhood was built to test the novel idea of home air conditioning.

‘The Lord’

Discover 'The Lord' in Mid and East Antrim, Northern Ireland: This massive basalt sea stack stands obtrusively from the rocky coastline.

Milner’s Tower

Discover Milner's Tower in Port Erin, Isle of Man: A prison tower–like edifice honoring a beloved local benefactor.

Chapman State Park

Discover Chapman State Park in Indian Head, Maryland: A state park that once served as an important river crossing, and now offers protected lands for endangered plants and animals.

Judengang

Discover Judengang in Berlin, Germany: Once a path for Jewish funeral processions, this unassuming alleyway is rich in local lore.

Woodchester Mansion

Discover Woodchester Mansion in Gloucestershire, England: A well-studied colony of endangered bats roosts in this abandoned Victorian Gothic mansion.

Astrid Lindgren’s House

Discover Astrid Lindgrens Hem (Astrid Lindgren's House) in Stockholm, Sweden: The apartment where Pippi Longstocking came to life.

Castle of San Zeno

Discover Castle of San Zeno in Montagnana, Italy: A medieval castle was used for centuries as a hemp farm.

Moseley Bog

Discover Moseley Bog in West Midlands, England: An ancient woodland that inspired a young J.R.R. Tolkien.

Chinese Cemetery at Harling Point

Discover Chinese Cemetery at Harling Point in Victoria, British Columbia: The remains of Canada's earliest Chinese pioneers are interred along this picturesque point.

Abbey of Santa Maria a Mare

Discover Abbey of Santa Maria a Mare in San Nicola di Tremiti, Italy: An abandoned monastery sits on a far-off island in the Adriatic Sea.

Lyell’s Oak

Discover Lyells Ek (Lyell's Oak) in Stockholm, Sweden: This tree was once used to calculate the decrease of the Baltic Sea.

Comecos Cemetery

Discover Comecos Cemetery in Granite, Oklahoma: Dad jokes and wordplay abound in this comic fake cemetery.

The Chained Oak

Discover The Chained Oak in Alton, England: A creepy tree with a local legend that inspired a nearby theme park ride.

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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

PP ToS