Archives: Atlas Obscuras

München Olympiastadion

Discover München Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany: An abandoned train station in Munich constructed for the 1972 Olympic games.

Agawa Rock

Discover Agawa Rock in Agawa Bay, Ontario: A sacred Ojibwe site covered in pictographs next to Lake Superior.

Barnet Physic Well

Discover Barnet Physic Well in London, England: A mineral spring that became all the rage in 17th-century England.

Quebec 01 Missile Alert Facility

Discover Quebec 01 Missile Alert Facility in Cheyenne, Wyoming: The only accessible Peacekeeper Missile Alert Facility left in the world.

German-Russian Museum

Discover German-Russian Museum in Berlin, Germany: A museum in the building where Nazi Germany signed its surrender tells the story of World War II from the Soviet perspective.

Storelgen (The Big Moose)

Discover Storelgen (The Big Moose) in Stor-Elvdal, Norway: The world's largest moose statue towers above the highway between Oslo and Trondheim.

Buck Atom

Discover Buck Atom in Tulsa, Oklahoma: Standing at 21-feet tall, this space cowboy adds to the legacy of Route 66's muffler men.

Beaumont Palace Marker

Discover Beaumont Palace Marker in Oxford, England: A hidden plaque is the only reminder of the lost palace where two storied English kings were born.

The Great Auditorium

Discover The Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove, New Jersey: A wooden theatre that remains the heart of a charming Victorian-era New Jersey enclave.

Cenote Hubiku

Discover Cenote Hubiku in Temozón, Mexico: This popular cave pool is truly magical, despite the crowds.

Hayground Windmill

Discover Hayground Windmill in East Hampton, New York: This 19th-century Hamptons windmill was once home to modernist painter Agnes Pelton.

Texas Falls

Discover Texas Falls in Hancock, Vermont: An ancient glacial pothole waterfall in the heart of the Green Mountains.

10 Adam Street

Discover 10 Adam Street in London, England: England's most famous front door has an accidental doppelganger.

‘Gassy Jack’ Statue

Discover 'Gassy Jack' Statue in Vancouver, British Columbia: An effigy of Vancouver's Gastown neighorhood's namesake.

Hermit’s Cave and Quaker Burial Ground

Discover Hermit's Cave and Quaker Burial Ground in Bristol, England: A medieval cave used to shelter local hermits now holds nearly 200 old Quaker gravestones.

Recycled Roadrunner Statue

Discover Recycled Roadrunner Statue in Las Cruces, New Mexico: A 20-foot-tall roadrunner constructed of discarded items watches over the I-10.

Chott el Djerid

Discover Chott el Djerid in Tozeur, Tunisia: The largest salt lake in the Sahara is mysteriously alluring.

Cramond Lioness

Discover Cramond Lioness in Edinburgh, Scotland: This Roman relic was discovered in Scotland by a mudlarking ferryman.

Buca Dello Spione

Discover Buca Dello Spione in Rome, Italy: An 18th-century post box used to alert the church of sick and ailing foreign pilgrims.

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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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