Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Fort Armistead

Discover Fort Armistead in Baltimore, Maryland: An eerie, abandoned military base engulfed by nature and graffiti is now home to a local park.

The Cloud Bar

Discover The Cloud Bar in Anderby Creek, England: The world’s first dedicated cloud observation platform.

Morbitorium

Discover Morbitorium in Pontywaun, Wales: An amazing collection of curiosities hidden in a small Welsh village.

Cristo Redentore (Christ the Redeemer)

Discover Cristo Redentore (Christ the Redeemer) in Santa Caterina, Italy: The tallest statue in Italy is also one of the world's tallest statues of Jesus.

Holtermann’s Bakery

Discover Holtermann's Bakery in Staten Island, New York: In the middle of suburban Staten Island, a nearly 150-year-old bakery is preserving the art of a disappearing New York treat.

Brighton Bazaar

Discover Brighton Bazaar in Brooklyn, New York: This neighborhood grocery houses a treasure trove of Eastern European delights.

Laver Ruins

Discover Laver Ruins in Älvsbyn V, Sweden: The concrete skeletons of an abandoned Swedish town hide among the trees.

Chi-Chi the Giant Panda

Discover Chi-Chi the Giant Panda in London, England: The beloved beast's taxidermy remains sit in the Natural History Museum's cafe.

Acequia Madre

Discover Acequia Madre in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico: The remains of a centuries-old water system that inspired local legends of secret tunnels.

Valtiroty Shiloh’s Tabernacle Center

Discover Valtiroty Shiloh's Tabernacle Center in Mitchell, South Dakota: A museum, walk-through diorama, and library nestled under one castle-like roof.

House on Fire Ruin

Discover House on Fire Ruin in San Juan County, Utah: An Ancestral Puebloan ruin that appears to burst into flames in the sunlight.

Musée de Lachine (LeBer-LeMoyne House)

Discover Musée de Lachine (LeBer-LeMoyne House) in Lachine, Québec: This 17th-century house was once the trading hub for two prominent Canadian fur barons.

J.N. Adam Memorial Hospital

Discover J.N. Adam Memorial Hospital in Perrysburg, New York: An abandoned tuberculosis hospital moulders on into an uncertain future.

L’Atelier des Lumières (Workshop of Light)

Discover L'Atelier des Lumières (Workshop of Light) in Paris, France: An immersive projection art installation uses sound, scale, and light to take visitors inside classic works of art.

Cartuja de Miraflores

Discover Cartuja de Miraflores in Burgos, Spain: This Gothic church houses ornate royal tombs and a magnificent gilded altarpiece.

Julia’s Deck

Discover Julia’s Deck in Minturn, Colorado: An ADA-accessible trail and deck offering stunning views of Colorado’s Mount of the Holy Cross.

An Chodyè La

Discover An Chodyè La in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe: A Caribbean chef recreates his enslaved great-great-grandmother's dishes inside the home she purchased after buying her freedom.

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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