Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Stanage Edge

Discover Stanage Edge in Derbyshire, England: This iconic Peak District ridge was once one of the busiest roads in medieval Britain.

Ministry of Brewing

Discover Ministry of Brewing in Baltimore, Maryland: An abandoned church gets a second life as a massive beer hall and event space.

The Last Clarion House

Discover The Last Clarion House in Newchurch-in-Pendle, England: At this snack-shack in the bucolic British countryside, you can still get a slice of socialism with your spot of tea.

Obake Kaidan

Discover Obake Kaidan in Tokyo, Japan: A flight of this "ghost staircase" has 40 steps on the way up, but only 39 steps on the way down.

Mermaid Chair

Discover Mermaid Chair in Zennor, England: This wooden chair dates possibly back to the 15th century, and commemorates a local legend.

Monastery Blagoveštenje Gornjačko

Discover Monastery Blagoveštenje Gornjačko in Breznica, Serbia: This outcropping was once home to a medieval monastery destroyed during the Ottoman conquest.

Church of Panagia Mesosporitissa

Discover Church of Panagia Mesosporitissa in Elefsina, Greece: Only open for two days a year, this church links ancient Greek and modern Christian celebrations.

Patcham Pylon

Discover Patcham Pylon in Brighton, England: This monumental gateway marks the northern edge of Brighton and is a welcome sign to all visitors to the seaside city.

Lee Chapel Cemetery

Discover Lee Chapel Cemetery in Burke, Virginia: Burke’s oldest cemetery also houses the victim of the county's grisliest murder.

El Charro Cafe

Discover El Charro Cafe in Tucson, Arizona: One of the oldest Mexican restaurants in the United States air-dries its trademark beef in a dangling outdoor cage.

Healer

Discover Healer in Indianapolis, Indiana: This former office building has been transformed into an immersive music venue and art space.

The Catacombs of St. Peter’s Abbey

Discover The Catacombs of St. Peter's Abbey in Salzburg, Austria: These 12th century catacombs carved into a mountainside were a place of mysticism and Christian hermitages.

Sheepeater Cliff

Discover Sheepeater Cliff in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: Around half a million years ago, these magnificent columnar basalt cliffs were formed from cooling lava.

Old Iwabuchi Watergate

Discover Old Iwabuchi Watergate in Kita City, Japan: This iconic sluice gate is a favorite haunt for joggers, fishing enthusiasts, and even ghost hunters.

Checkerboard Mesa

Discover Checkerboard Mesa in Utah: The unusual patterns in this rock formation result from two distinct modes of weathering.

Zeppelin Hall

Discover Zeppelin Hall in Darmstadt, Germany: This remarkable parking garage in Darmstadt has lived several lives and still contains remnants of its World War I past.

Simeon Strong House

Discover Simeon Strong House in Amherst, Massachusetts: The owner of one of the oldest homes in Amherst had a unique request before the home could be turned into a museum.

Fairfax Station Railroad Museum

Discover Fairfax Station Railroad Museum in Fairfax Station, Virginia: One of the oldest train stations still standing in Virginia played a vital role during the Civil War.

‘Power’

Discover 'Power' in Charleston, West Virginia: Thousands of tiny squares in different colors make up this piece of street art.

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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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