Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Govinda’s Vegetarian Lunch

Discover Govinda's Vegetarian Lunch in Brooklyn, New York: Every dish is blessed in this basement eatery beneath a Hare Krishna temple.

Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse

Discover Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse in Kinderhook, New York: The schoolhouse where Jesse Merwin, the inspiration for the "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" character, once taught.

Alvord Desert

Discover Alvord Desert in New Princeton, Oregon: At the base of Steens Mountain resides an otherworldly desert.

Matthaei Botanical Gardens

Discover Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor, Michigan: These gardens recreate unique and endangered Michigan habitats.

Richard Hayward Mural

Discover Richard Hayward Mural in Larne, Northern Ireland: The artwork immortalizes one of 20th-century Ireland's leading creatives.

Sado Kinzan

Discover Sado Kinzan in Sado, Japan: For centuries, this gold mine was the powerhouse behind the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Indian Rhinoceros Diorama

Discover Indian Rhinoceros Diorama in New York, New York: An eerie diorama that captures the majestic nature of a few prehistoric-looking beasts.

Joan of Arc Statue

Discover Joan of Arc Statue in Los Angeles, California: This recovered statue stood guard outside the French Hospital for over 50 years—and then disappeared.

Los Angeles Theatre

Discover Los Angeles Theatre in Los Angeles, California: Of the surviving movie palaces on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, this French Baroque gem is the most elaborate.

Les Fresques des Piliers

Discover Les Fresques des Piliers in Québec City, Québec: Concrete pillars provide a beautiful canvas for Quebec City's graffiti artists.

Kim Thai Food

Discover Kim Thai Food in Los Angeles, California: Find regional specialties from the Thai-Laotian border inside in a North Hollywood swap meet's food court.

‘Diminish and Ascend’

Discover 'Diminish and Ascend' in Christchurch, New Zealand: This aluminum “stairway to heaven” has impaled at least a couple of birds.

Gobbler Theater

Discover Gobbler Theater in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin: This supper-club-turned-concert-venue still serves drinks at its original rotating bar.

Bart Prince Residence and Studio

Discover Bart Prince Residence and Studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico: It's easy to see why this eclectic architectural wonder has been dubbed the "Spaceship House.".

‘Juliet’s Tomb’

Discover 'Juliet's Tomb' in Verona, Italy: It’s said this crypt was the setting for the tragic finale of the Shakespeare play.

Vale of Cashmere

Discover Vale of Cashmere in Brooklyn, New York: This secluded ruin was once a home for exotic plants.

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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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