Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Keith Haring Mural

Discover Keith Haring Mural in Amsterdam, Netherlands: This massive mural by famed pop-artist Keith Haring was hidden for almost 30 years until its 2018 rediscovery.

Cadillac’s KISS Monument

Discover Cadillac's KISS Monument in Cadillac, Michigan: This monument honors the band's impromptu performance at Cadillac highschool's homecoming decades ago.

Unmarked Grave of Pierre Emile L’Angelier

Discover Unmarked Grave of Pierre Emile L'Angelier in Glasgow, Scotland: The final resting place of a poisoned lover whose death was at the center of one of Glasgow's most sensational murder trials.

Mentryville Park

Discover Mentryville Park in Stevenson Ranch, California: This park is home to California's first oil boomtown, with structures that have stood for more than a century.

Oleg’s Mound

Discover Oleg's Mound in Russia: This burial mound is said to be the final resting place of Russia's first Viking ruler, Oleg of Novogrod.

Dude Fire Memorial Grove

Discover Dude Fire Memorial Grove in Payson, Arizona: This small memorial is dedicated to the Perryville State Prison firefighters who perished fighting the Dude Fire in 1990.

Scaligero Castle

Discover Scaligero Castle in Sirmione, Italy: One of the most well-preserved castles in Italy also contains a rare medieval example of a port fortification.

Matsushima Bay

Discover Matsushima Bay in Matsushima, Japan: These tiny pine-covered islands have inspired art and poetry for centuries.

Palazzo dei Diamanti

Discover Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara, Italy: This Renaissance palace features a unique architectural design and is now home to the Ferrara National Art Gallery.

Walter Galera Garden

Discover Walter Galera Garden in São Paulo, Brazil: Hidden in plain sight, this lush garden sits atop one of the most iconic buildings in São Paulo.

Haga Slottsgrund

Discover Haga Slottsgrund in Hagalund, Sweden: The palace for King Gustav III was never completed, but the foundation remains tucked away in this city park.

Enciso Ichnites

Discover Enciso Ichnites in Enciso, Spain: Hundreds of preserved dinosaur footprints can be found along a hiking trail in this small village.

All Saints’ Church of Tudeley

Discover All Saints' Church of Tudeley in Tudeley, England: This medieval church is the only one in the world that features all Marc Chagall stained-glass windows.

Shirahatazuka Shiseki Park

Discover Shirahatazuka Shiseki Park in Tokyo, Japan: Visitors to this park are welcomed by an ancient Japanese megalithic tomb that dates back to the sixth century.

Yerrabingin Farm

Discover Yerrabingin Farm in Sydney, Australia: The world's first indigenous rooftop farm boasts 2,000 plants from more than 35 different native Australian species.

‘Coicorin’

Discover 'Coicorin' in Chuo City, Japan: Tell this pair of "love-inviting" cats in Ginza your romantic hopes.

The Cozy Rooms

Discover The Cozy Rooms in Pendleton, Oregon: A statue of the owner stands outside of this museum, once the most popular brothel in town.

Sanctuary Wood Cemetery

Discover Sanctuary Wood Cemetery in Ypres, Belgium: In the shadow of a former battleground, the resting place for nearly 2,000 soldiers who died in World War I.

Bethlehem in Ghajnsielem

Discover Bethlehem in Ghajnsielem in Ghajnsielem, Malta: In the sleepy town of Gozo exists a reproduction of the entire town of Bethlehem.

Stone Windmill

Discover Stone Windmill in Austin, Texas: This stone windmill marks an old, mysterious homestead in what is now central Austin.

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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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