Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Château Frontenac

Discover Château Frontenac in Québec City, Québec: This lovely, if imposing, piece of Canadian gothic is possibly the most photographed hotel in the world.

Adventure Stairs

Discover Adventure Stairs in Hamilton, Ontario: 305 homemade stone stairs wind their way up the Hamilton escarpment.

Sable Island

Discover Sable Island in Halifax, Nova Scotia: This crescent-shaped sliver of sand is a magical haven for a herd of feral horses.

Hôtel de Glace

Discover Hôtel de Glace in Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, Québec: This chilly Canadian hotel has a four-month lifespan due to the unusual material it's made of.

Bata Shoe Museum

Discover Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Ontario: A collection of more than 12,000 shoes, displayed in a building shaped like a shoebox.

Schwartz’s

Discover Schwartz's in Montreal, Québec: A Montreal deli that was so beloved that it was allowed to circumvent their laws of language.

Joggins Fossil Cliffs

Discover Joggins Fossil Cliffs in Joggins, Nova Scotia: Cliffs that hold fossils, including the earliest known reptile, dating back more than 300 million years.

Toronto Neighbourhood Watch Signs

Discover Toronto Neighbourhood Watch Signs in Toronto, Ontario: The Incredible Hulk, Yoda, Mulder and Scully, and many many others watch over the mean streets of Toronto.

Vancouver Police Museum

Discover Vancouver Police Museum in Vancouver, British Columbia: Housing a morgue, rare and confiscated weapons, and autopsy remains, the Vancouver police museum displays the dark side of Canada.

Banff Springs Hotel

Discover Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta: Few other hotels can rival the grandeur of the Castle in the Rockies.

Japadog

Discover Japadog in Vancouver, British Columbia: Surprisingly Delicious Asian-Style Hot Dogs.

Bloedel Conservatory

Discover Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver, British Columbia: This conservatory allows a little bit of the tropics to thrive in the middle of a major Canadian city.

Screaming Tunnel

Discover Screaming Tunnel in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario: Legend says that this short Canadian tunnel still holds the dying screams of a girl who burned alive.

CN Tower Stairs

Discover CN Tower Stairs in Toronto, Ontario: One of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World holds the world's tallest metal staircase.

The Spotted Lake (Kliluk)

Discover The Spotted Lake (Kliluk) in Osoyoos, British Columbia: A sacred lake composed of over 300 separate pools of highly concentrated minerals.

Cube House

Discover Cube House in Toronto, Ontario: This unusual structure may be on its way to becoming a cultural landmark in Toronto.

Gastown Steam Clock

Discover Gastown Steam Clock in Vancouver, British Columbia: A working steam clock, one of only a few in the world, located in Vancouver's Victorian Gastown.

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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