Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Cave of Zeus

Discover Cave of Zeus in Kuşadası, Turkey: This Turkish cave boasts some rather bizarre associations with the King of Mount Olympus.

Abandoned Hebron Mission

Discover Abandoned Hebron Mission in Newfoundland and Labrador: This remote Moravian mission brought Christianity—as well as devastation—to the Inuit people.

Torre Flavia

Discover Torre Flavia in Ladispoli, Italy: The ruins of this medieval tower are destined to crumble into the sea.

Teddy Bear Museum

Discover Teddy Bear Museum in Seogwipo, South Korea: The history of the plush toy and South Korea collected under one roof.

Camp Hale Ruins

Discover Camp Hale Ruins in Leadville, Colorado: The remnants of the base where US Army troops learned how to fight in extreme conditions.

Ajam Emba

Discover Ajam Emba in Ranchi, India: This women-run eatery and cooking school is putting India's long-neglected tribal cuisines back on the menu.

Il Facchino

Discover Il Facchino in Rome, Italy: A statue representing a lost Roman profession that was vandalized for centuries.

Waw an Namus

Discover Waw an Namus in Libya: Surrounded by a smudge of dark earth, this isolated volcano sits in stark contrast to the surrounding Sahara.

Jardin Alpin (Alpine Garden)

Discover Jardin Alpin (Alpine Garden) in Paris, France: This recessed garden protects thousands of mountain plants by creating its own microclimates.

Fethiye Mosque

Discover Fethiye Mosque in Athens, Greece: This historic structure has been used as a mosque, a barracks, a prison, a school, and a bakery.

Spirit of Texas Bank

Discover Spirit of Texas Bank in Conroe, Texas: The mansion-like building is packed with Texas pride.

German Hops Museum

Discover German Hops Museum in Wolnzach, Germany: Beer lovers thirsty for knowledge can now visit a museum devoted to the world's largest hop-growing region.

Villa Farnese

Discover Villa Farnese in Caprarola, Italy: A lavish 16th-century mansion filled with spectacular staircases, fantastic frescoes, and gorgeous gardens.

Egyptian Coffee Shop

Discover Egyptian Coffee Shop in Queens, New York: Sip coffee and talk politics at this landmark cafe in Astoria's Little Egypt, a contender for the title of America's first hookah bar.

Joe Webb Peoples Museum

Discover Joe Webb Peoples Museum in Middletown, Connecticut: A small museum packed with specimens from important fossil sites and minerals from historical pegmatite quarries.

Cheoah Dam

Discover Cheoah Dam in Robbinsville, North Carolina: A historic dam made famous for its turbines and feature in a Hollywood classic.

Yanartaş

Discover Yanartaş in Turkey: Flames have been burning within this mountain for more than 2,500 years.

Nassau Hall

Discover Nassau Hall in Princeton, New Jersey: Nassau Hall has served as army barracks, a museum, and played a key role in the American Revolution.

Grande Ferro R

Discover Grande Ferro R in Ravenna, Italy: An unusual sculpture with a meaning shrouded in mystery.

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