Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Naples Depot Museum

Discover Naples Depot Museum in Naples, Florida: This 1920s railway depot is now home to two unique museums complete with a miniature train ride.

Camera Heritage Museum

Discover Camera Heritage Museum in Staunton, Virginia: Developed by focused shutterbugs, this museum exposes visitors to more than 6,000 different cameras.

Rathen Open Air Stage

Discover Rathen Open Air Stage in Rathen, Germany: This stone amphitheater was once part of Nazi Germany's plan to promote propaganda.

La Fajana Natural Pools

Discover La Fajana Natural Pools in La Palma, Spain: You can soak in three relaxing pools filled daily by the tide.

Gottlieb’s Restaurant

Discover Gottlieb's Restaurant in Brooklyn, New York: One of the few Glatt kosher delis in the United States is a cornerstone of its Hasidic neighborhood.

Scoops Ice Cream & Such

Discover Scoops Ice Cream & Such in Mount Airy, North Carolina: Follow the path behind this treat-slinging camper van to a sculpture garden in the forest.

Grannie’s Cookie Jars & Ice Cream Parlor

Discover Grannie's Cookie Jars & Ice Cream Parlor in Metamora, Indiana: More than 3,200 cookie jars line the walls and shelves of this little shop and over 1,000 salt and pepper shakers.

Tower of Wind

Discover Tower of Wind in Kawasaki, Japan: Curious onlookers have suspected this strange structure is a secret government base.

Museo Histórico de la Sierra Gorda

Discover Museo Histórico de la Sierra Gorda (Historical Museum of the Sierra Gorda) in Jalpan de Serra, Mexico: The building that houses this museum is as historic as its collection.

Parroquia of Santiago Archive

Discover Parroquia of Santiago Archive in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico: A hidden room within the church displays an amazing collection of old choir books.

Cinéma Nova

Discover Cinéma Nova in Brussel, Belgium: This non-profit theatre in the heart of Brussels is dedicated to hosting independent films.

Barracuda Lake

Discover Barracuda Lake in Coron, Philippines: This curious fresh and salt water lake holds a secret that draws in deep divers from around the world.

Graf-Ulrich-Bau Slide

Discover Graf-Ulrich-Bau Slide in Grafenau, Germany: Inside this unique festival hall, a slide leads guests down to a subterranean watering hole.

Bridal Veil Falls

Discover Bridal Veil Falls in Chilliwack, British Columbia: Cascading outward, this waterfall creates the appearance of a flowing veil.

The Brattle Theatre

Discover The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts: One of the last remaining movie theatres in the country that features a rear-projection system.

Spring Lake Arcade

Discover Spring Lake Arcade in Burrillville, Rhode Island: This beach-side arcade is believed to be the oldest penny arcade in America.

Buittle Castle

Discover Buittle Castle in Castle Douglas, Scotland: The former seat of power for the Balliol dynasty.

Soviet Statue Graveyard

Discover Soviet Statue Graveyard in Tallinn, Estonia: Relics from an era long gone, sit idle outside this Estonian museum.

Villa San Marco

Discover Villa San Marco in Castellammare di Stabia, Italy: For centuries, this large Roman villa remained hidden thanks to the eruption that buried nearby Pompeii and Herculaneum.

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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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