Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Dar El Annabi

Discover Dar El Annabi in Carthage, Tunisia: This museum in the famously blue neighborhood of Sidi Bou Saïd showcases a traditional Tunisian lifestyle.

Fort No. 5 “Friedrich Wilhelm III”

Discover Fort No. 5 "Friedrich Wilhelm III" in Kaliningrad, Russia: This monument commemorates the soldiers who fought for 16 hours straight to penetrate this concrete fort.

Monastery Penteli

Discover Monastery Penteli in Penteli, Greece: The heads and relics of 179 monks slaughtered by pirates are on display within this Ceonobic Monastery.

Stew Pond at Newstead Abbey

Discover Stew Pond at Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire, England: In this medieval fish bowl, the carp weren't pets.

Schaakstukkenmuseum

Discover Schaakstukkenmuseum (The Chessmen Museum) in Rotterdam, Netherlands: This small museum located under the famous cube houses, is home to some 30,000 chess pieces.

Ludus Magnus

Discover Ludus Magnus in Rome, Italy: The ruins of the largest gladiatorial school in Rome are largely hidden under modern streets.

Steubenville Steelworkers Memorial

Discover Steubenville Steelworkers Memorial in Steubenville, Ohio: A larger than life statue of a steelworker keeps watch over a closed steel mill.

Zegartowice Mushroom Rock

Discover Grzyb skalny w Zegartowice (Zegartowice Mushroom Rock) in Zegartowice, Poland: This mushroom-shaped rock has frustrated and fascinated locals for centuries.

Bron-Yr-Aur

Discover Bron-Yr-Aur in Machynlleth, Wales: Led Zeppelin wrote some of their most iconic songs at this little 18th-century Welsh cottage.

The Lindens

Discover The Lindens in Washington, D.C.: The oldest house in Washington, D.C. wasn't originally constructed in the nation's capital.

Museum of Ancient Wonders

Discover Museum of Ancient Wonders in Cathedral City, California: Nestled in Coachella Valley, this museum transports guests from the Mesozoic Era, to the land of Egyptian kings.

René Lévesque Park

Discover René Lévesque Park in Montreal, Québec: This exuberantly curated landscape is one of the largest sculpture gardens in Canada.

Gorreana Tea Plantation

Discover Gorreana Tea Plantation in São Miguel, Portugal: Europe's oldest still-operational tea farm also boasts a spectacular view.

Kinloch Castle

Discover Kinloch Castle in Isle of Rum, Scotland: This once-majestic, now-abandoned Victorian castle has seen better days.

Emily Wilding Davison Memorial

Discover Emily Wilding Davison Memorial in Epsom, England: This memorial is dedicated to the legendary suffragette, who stepped in front of the king's horse during the Epsom Derby.

‘The Fishermen’s Monument’

Discover 'The Fishermen's Monument' in Dunbar, Scotland: This 19th-century monument served an important purpose for fishermen thanks to its built-in barometer.

Bunkers in Staatswald

Discover Bunkers in Staatswald in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany: These abandoned Cold War-era bunkers are now a designated refuge for endangered bat species.

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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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