Archives: Atlas Obscuras

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.

Wooden Horse Museum

Discover Wooden Horse Museum in Stockholm, Sweden: This small museum nestled inside a souvenir shop is dedicated to Sweden's most well-known toy.

Charlotte Square

Discover Charlotte Square in Edinburgh, Scotland: This city square dates back to the Scottish Enlightenment and was home to some of Scotland's brightest minds.

Kasbah of the Udayas

Discover Kasbah of the Udayas in Rabat, Morocco: Morocco’s modern capital was once a haven for Barbary pirates, who went so far as to establish a republic of their own.

Soap Plant / Wacko

Discover Soap Plant / Wacko in Los Angeles, California: An expansive book store, art gallery, and curio shop with wares ranging from tarot cards to novelty socks.

The Main Line

Discover The Main Line in Nanuoya, Sri Lanka: Known as the most scenic route in Sri Lanka, this train line is steeped in history and offers an unparalleled view of the country.

Barrow Hill Roundhouse

Discover Barrow Hill Roundhouse in Barrow Hill, England: The last surviving roundhouse in the United Kingdom also plays host to a popular annual beer and music festival.

Valmont Butte

Discover Valmont Butte in Boulder, Colorado: This now-abandoned outcrop is an important Native American spiritual site, overtaken by European settlers and mining pollution.

The Llandoger Trow

Discover The Llandoger Trow in Bristol, England: A historic, reportedly haunted pub that provided inspiration for several famous adventure novels.

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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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