Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Old San Agustin Aqueduct

Discover Old San Agustin Aqueduct in San Agustín Etla, Mexico: Amid lush greenery, a man-made channel peppered with graffiti that dates back to 1881.

Printen Museum

Discover Printen Museum in Aachen, Germany: This bakery and museum offers tours of the tastes and mythology of Aachen's signature spice biscuit—just don't ask for the recipe.

Robert Johnson’s Cenotaph

Discover Robert Johnson's Cenotaph in Morgan City, Mississippi: Contrary to popular belief, this memorial does not actually claim to mark the bluesman's grave.

Tattingstone Wonder

Discover Tattingstone Wonder in Tattingstone, England: An 18th-century estate owner thought these cottages were an eyesore, so he artfully disguised them as a church.

Corn Water Tower

Discover Corn Water Tower in Rochester, Minnesota: This water tower has been a staple of the Rochester skyline since 1931.

Fathom Bistro, Bait, and Tackle

Discover Fathom Bistro, Bait, and Tackle in San Diego, California: Get fishing gear and craft beer at this restaurant on the pier.

Rattlesnake Ranch

Discover Rattlesnake Ranch in Benson, Arizona: Rusting dinosaurs frolic at the entrance to this roadside "snake sanctuary.".

The Harrell House Bug Museum

Discover The Harrell House Bug Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico: Thousands of mounted insects, and some live ones, hide within an otherwise ordinary shopping mall.

Napier Prison

Discover Napier Prison in Napier, New Zealand: New Zealand's oldest prison holds a dark history and the scars of a deadly earthquake.

Fisherman’s Castle on the Irish Bayou

Discover Fisherman's Castle on the Irish Bayou in New Orleans, Louisiana: This strange, small castle on the bayou has withstood the test of time and weather.

Le Boudoir

Discover Le Boudoir in Brooklyn, New York: Just your average Marie Antoinette–themed speakeasy in an abandoned 19th-century subway tunnel.

Robert Johnson’s Grave

Discover Robert Johnson's Grave in Greenwood, Mississippi: After decades of research and rumors, Little Zion Church was proven to be his final resting place.

Devizes Market Cross

Discover Devizes Market Cross in Devizes, England: The plaques around this 19th-century structure recall some rather strange tales.

Du Fu KFC

Discover Du Fu KFC in Chengdu, China: A KFC honors an eighth-century Chinese poet with holograms and verse.

Red Light Secrets

Discover Red Light Secrets in Amsterdam, Netherlands: This museum housed in a former brothel explores the past and present of sex work in Amsterdam.

Odd Mountain

Discover Odd Mountain in Katoomba, Australia: A small curiosity shop with items ranging from antique medical supplies to taxidermied animals.

San Gennaro Mural

Discover San Gennaro Mural in Naples, Italy: San Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples, greets pedestrians between these narrow city streets.

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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

PP ToS