Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Tomb of Askia

Discover Tomb of Askia in Gao, Mali: The most important and best preserved remnant of West Africa's powerful Songhai Empire.

Strombergbahn Miniature

Discover Strombergbahn Miniature in Sachsenheim, Germany: A tiny, intricate model railway system.

The Nobility of Time

Discover The Nobility of Time in Andorra la Vella, Andorra: In one of the smallest countries in the world stands an original Salvador Dali sculpture.

Tateishi-sama

Discover Tateishi-sama in Tokyo, Japan: This tiny stone in a children's park is what remains of an ancient, once-worshipped object.

Cementerio del Cristo (Cemetery of Christ)

Discover Cementerio del Cristo (Cemetery of Christ) in Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain: This small cemetery and its chapel are located in the middle of a traffic circle.

Hvide Sande Nazi Bunkers

Discover Hvide Sande Nazi Bunkers in Ringkøbing, Denmark: Remnants of the Nazis' occupation of Denmark linger along the sand.

Museum of Pathological Anatomy

Discover Museo de Anatomopatología (Museum of Pathological Anatomy) in Mexico City, Mexico: Located in a veterinary school, this macabre exhibit displays the effects of animal diseases.

Larne Roundabout Jubilee Crown

Discover Larne Roundabout Jubilee Crown in Larne, Northern Ireland: This giant sculpture is both loved and disliked by the local community.

Mistral Bleu Train Bar

Discover Mistral Bleu Train Bar in Tokyo, Japan: A cool dive bar, off the beaten track.

Arq-e-Gulab

Discover Arq-e-Gulab in Srinagar, India: An old curiosity shop holds on to a centuries-old tradition of manually-distilled rose water.

Haywood Street Fresco

Discover Haywood Street Fresco in Asheville, North Carolina: This ancient art form was used to capture the lives and struggles of the Haywood Street ministry.

The Former Chapel Hospital of Los Juaninos

Discover The Former Chapel Hospital of Los Juaninos in Morelia, Mexico: This colonial-era hospital chapel is now a foyer and side entrance to a popular department store.

FONART Patriotismo

Discover FONART Patriotismo in Mexico City, Mexico: This warehouse-gallery-shop hybrid showcases Mexican craftwork at its best.

Sebastian Art Gallery

Discover Sebastian Art Gallery in Dubrovnik, Croatia: This 15th-century church houses priceless works of art from a range of Croatian artists.

Archie Andrews Statue

Discover Archie Andrews Statue in Meredith, New Hampshire: This smiling statue memorializes local cartoonist Bob Montana and his legendary creation.

LU Cocina Michoacana

Discover LU Cocina Michoacana in Morelia, Mexico: This upscale restaurant specializing in Michoacán cuisine serves sauces tied to important life events.

Walter Johnson Statue

Discover Walter Johnson Statue in Washington, D.C.: This statue of one of baseball’s greatest pitchers looks like something out of a sci-fi horror movie.

Khampa Kitchen

Discover Khampa Kitchen in Queens, New York: Chefs from Tibet's Kham region offer steaming meat pies and noodle soups in this nook behind a jewelry store.

El Miro Ruins

Discover El Miro Ruins in Jaco, Costa Rica: Once the foundation for a mansion, these ruins now offer amazing panoramic coastal views.

Menu

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