Archives: Atlas Obscuras

La Vigna di Leonardo (Leonardo’s Vineyard)

Discover La Vigna di Leonardo (Leonardo’s Vineyard) in Milan, Italy: Just across from the "Last Supper" painting is the famous painter's vineyard, a gift received for creating the masterpiece.

Stortorget Cannonball

Discover Stortorget Cannonball in Stockholm, Sweden: Several cannonballs of mysterious origins decorate two buildings in Stortoget's main square.

William Blake Mosaics

Discover William Blake Mosaics in London, England: This open-air mosaic gallery honoring an English artist took hundreds of volunteers more than seven years to create.

International Fox Museum and Hall of Fame

Discover International Fox Museum and Hall of Fame in Summerside, Prince Edward Island: The once-booming fox ranching industry has left its mark on Prince Edward Island.

Jinnai Shrine

Discover Jinnai Shrine in Tokyo, Japan: This shrine dedicated to a legendary swordsman has become a pilgrimage site for the ill and infirmed.

La Gruta

Discover La Gruta in San Francisco Mazapa, Mexico: Cool down and fill up after visiting Teotihuacán at this bar and restaurant in a deep, underground cave.

All Saints Church Ruins

Discover All Saints Church Ruins in Ridgmont, England: This ancient Bedfordshire church was abandoned when the village's population slowly began migrating to new towns.

Calle de Las Setas (The Mushroom Street)

Discover Calle de Las Setas (The Mushroom Street) in Alicante (Alacant), Spain: Down this yellow brick road, visitors are treated to toadstool houses and massive mushroom sculptures.

British Saloon

Discover British Saloon in Fez, Morocco: One of the few places to grab a beer in Fez is a former British consulate.

Dog’s Roasted Sweet Potato Stand

Discover Dog's Roasted Sweet Potato Stand in Sapporo, Japan: The only thing sweeter than the potatoes is the canine proprietor of this roadside stall.

Fort Apache

Discover Fort Apache in Supply, North Carolina: This handcrafted, old western-style town is filled with deserted cars, retired movie props, and other forms of Americana.

Monument to the Independence of Chiapas

Discover Monument to the Independence of Chiapas in Comitán de Domínguez, Mexico: Also known as "The Book," this monument is dedicated to Chiapas's history of independence.

Keller House

Discover Keller House in Malibu, California: The stone walls of a home built to withstand a California wildfire still stand after more than a century.

Rotterdam Jazz Artists Memorial

Discover Rotterdam Jazz Artists Memorial in Rotterdam, Netherlands: Portraits of musicians line Oude Binnenweg, the jazziest street in the city.

Victoria Clock Tower

Discover Victoria Clock Tower in Pier Ward, Seychelles: This vestige of Seychelles’s colonial past now resides in a busy intersection and didn’t chime for its first 96 years.

Bronze Age Boat

Discover Bronze Age Boat in Dover, England: One of the oldest seagoing boats in the world can be found at the Dover Museum.

Woodhall Spa Bath House

Discover Woodhall Spa Bath House in Lincolnshire, England: This former Victorian bathhouse was all the rage during the mid-19th century and put Woodhall on the map.

Grosser Stiefel (Big Boot)

Discover Grosser Stiefel (Big Boot) in Sankt Ingbert, Germany: This rock resembling a turned-up boot has become the symbol of St. Ingbert.

Plaza Tower

Discover Plaza Tower in New Orleans, Louisiana: This 45-story tall abandoned skyscraper is the third tallest building in New Orleans and Lousiana.

Charles Cotton’s Fishing House

Discover Charles Cotton's Fishing House in Derbyshire, England: This small building nestled along the Dove River is seen by some as the birthplace of angling as a sport.

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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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