Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Dryptosaurus Skeletal Mount

Discover Dryptosaurus Skeletal Mount in Trenton, New Jersey: The way these carnivorous dinosaurs are posed is an homage to a classic work of paleoart.

The Hill of Bells

Discover Cerro de las Campanas (Hill of Bells) in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico: When struck, the strange stones in this park ring like bells.

Transfiguration Monastery Tunnel

Discover Transfiguration Monastery Tunnel in Samovodene, Bulgaria: A mysterious tunnel hidden in the shadows of a colorful, historic sanctuary.

‘Pennies from Heaven’

Discover 'Pennies from Heaven' in Falls Church, Virginia: A whopping 14,000 copper coins cover this miniature fighter jet.

Hotel del Coronado

Discover Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, California: L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.

Senfmuseum (Mustard Museum)

Discover Senfmuseum (Mustard Museum) in Cologne, Germany: This small condiment museum makes all manner of mustards with a 200-year-old mill.

Cupatitzio Canyon National Park

Discover Parque Nacional Barranca del Cupatitzio (Cupatitzio Canyon National Park) in Uruapan, Mexico: One of Mexico's rare urban natural parks features waterfalls and a working fish farm.

Nahoum and Sons

Discover Nahoum and Sons in Kolkata, India: This Jewish bakery, among the last in the region, sells legendary sweets from a century-old storefront.

The Door of No Return

Discover La Porte du Non-Retour (The Door of No Return) in Ouidah, Benin: A monument to the more than one million enslaved Africans deported from the port of Ouidah.

‘The History of World Commerce’

Discover 'The History of World Commerce' in Los Angeles, California: A relief that wraps around the concourse of Los Angeles's World Trade Center marks one of the city's failed urban design plans.

The Last Grave

Discover The Last Grave in Dunwich, England: This melancholy headstone is the only remaining evidence of a medieval church lost to the sea.

Hveragerdi Bus Stop

Discover Hveragerdi Bus Stop in Hveragerði, Iceland: This abandoned, partly demolished building is now home to beautiful graffiti and murals.

Bulk Candy Store Museum

Discover Bulk Candy Store Museum in West Palm Beach, Florida: This shop also boasts some sweet memorabilia from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.".

‘Två Myror’ (‘Two Ants’)

Discover 'Två Myror' ('Two Ants') in Stockholm, Sweden: Enormous ants wielding giant pine needles guard a Stockholm real estate company's office.

Linda Mar Taco Bell

Discover Linda Mar Taco Bell in Pacifica, California: The most beautiful Taco Bell in the world even has surfboard parking.

Panna Meena ka Kund

Discover Panna Meena ka Kund in Jaipur, India: The beautiful 16th-century stepwell lies in the shadow of a famous fortress.

Fiume

Discover Fiume in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: A tiny, unmarked beer and whiskey bar above an Ethiopian restaurant in West Philly fails to conceal live bluegrass.

Bač Fortress

Discover Bač Fortress in Bač, Serbia: A well preserved medieval fortress in Vojvodina.

Mugdock Gunsite

Discover Mugdock Gunsite in Glasgow, Scotland: The remains of an anti-aircraft battery from World War II look out over Glasgow.

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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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