Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Moctezuma Plaza

Discover Moctezuma Plaza in Cuernavaca, Mexico: The former headquarters of a leader in the Mexican Revolution, and the site of an often-reproduced image.

Jamil’s Steakhouse

Discover Jamil's Steakhouse in Tulsa, Oklahoma: The storied steakhouse is the last in a long line of Lebanese-owned supper clubs in Tulsa.

Mooning Gargoyle of Freiburg Minster

Discover Mooning Gargoyle of Freiburg Minster in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany: A stonemason's hilarious revenge came in the form of this peculiarly positioned gargoyle.

Kototoi Bridge

Discover Kototoi Bridge in Tokyo, Japan: Tragic reminders of the 1945 firebombing campaign over Tokyo still haunt this bridge.

Old Portomarín

Discover Old Portomarín in Portomarín, Spain: This stop on the Camino de Santiago stands high above the underwater ruins of a medieval town.

Cardinal Wolsey Statue

Discover Cardinal Wolsey Statue in Ipswich, England: A surprisingly approachable statue of the man who dominated King Henry VIII's government.

Russian Chapel in Darmstadt

Discover Russian Chapel in Darmstadt in Darmstadt, Germany: The last Tsar of Russia constructed this private church just so he could attend services when visiting his wife's hometown.

Dungan Family Restaurant

Discover Dungan Family Restaurant in Yrdyk, Kyrgyzstan: On the shores of Kyrgyzstan's Issyk-Kul Lake, a family cooks a feast that tells the sad tale of a people's exile.

Wellesley Road Grandstand

Discover Wellesley Road Grandstand in Norfolk, England: These grandstands are among the oldest continuously used stands in the world.

Morocco’s Land Effigy

Discover Morocco's Land Effigy in Edinburgh, Scotland: This unusual statue overlooking the Royal Mile has an interesting backstory.

Franks Diner

Discover Franks Diner in Kenosha, Wisconsin: Behind a modern brick exterior lies the oldest continuously-operating lunch-car diner in the United States.

MUMAC Coffee Machine Museum

Discover MUMAC Coffee Machine Museum in Binasco, Italy: Get buzzed beholding one of the world's largest coffee-machine collections, then step into the café for a specially brewed cup.

Nimrod Fortress

Discover Nimrod Fortress in Golan: Named for the biblical warrior, the largest castle in Israel actually dates to the Middle Ages.

Bullet Button

Discover Bullet Button in Varberg, Sweden: This innocuous-looking button may have been used to assassinate a king.

Paco de Lucía Metro Station

Discover Paco de Lucía Metro Station in Madrid, Spain: Guitarist Paco de Lucía overlooks travelers as they pass through this train station dedicated to his legacy.

Wasserturmhochhaus Großheide

Discover Wasserturmhochhaus Großheide in Mönchengladbach, Germany: This highrise residential building looks mundane, but hides a water tower and WWII bunker.

Tobacco & Salt Museum

Discover Tobacco & Salt Museum in Tokyo, Japan: This museum is dedicated to the cultural history of tobacco and salt, once monopolized in Japan.

Ernie Pyle Public Library

Discover Ernie Pyle Public Library in Albuquerque, New Mexico: The home of famed war correspondent Ernie Pyle is now a library and museum dedicated to his memory.

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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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