Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Zavikon Island

Discover Zavikon Island in Zavikon Island, Ontario: The purported world's shortest international bridge connects a homeowner in Canada to his backyard in New York.

Maud Lewis’ Painted House

Discover Maud Lewis' Painted House in Halifax, Nova Scotia: This tiny abode has been covered in the art of the little old lady who made her life and living there.

Reversing Falls

Discover Reversing Falls in Saint John, New Brunswick: These powerful, if squat, Canadian waterfalls flow in different directions depending on the time of day.

Abandoned Veterans Village at Westminster Ponds

Discover Abandoned Veterans Village at Westminster Ponds in London, Ontario: The ruins of a rehabilitation center for World War II vets can be found in the Westminster Ponds Conservation area.

Mountain View Cemetery

Discover Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver, British Columbia: Vancouver's only resting place for the city's deceased.

Giant Perogy

Discover Giant Perogy in Glendon, Alberta: Roadside tribute to a staple of eastern European cuisine.

Hartland Bridge

Discover Hartland Bridge in Hartland, New Brunswick: The world's longest covered bridge is a quaint and incredible wooden tunnel.

T.rex Discovery Centre

Discover T.rex Discovery Centre in Eastend, Saskatchewan: Built after the 1991 discovery of one of the world's most complete T.rex skeletons in the nearby hills.

World’s Largest Lobster

Discover World's Largest Lobster in Shediac, New Brunswick: This monster fiberglass crustacean stands watch over the self-proclaimed "lobster capital of the world.".

Canada’s Smallest Library

Discover Canada's Smallest Library in Cardigan, Prince Edward Island: While this is positively the smallest library in Canada, it aspires to be the smallest in the world.

Le Stade Olympique

Discover Le Stade Olympique in Montreal, Québec: A massive Montreal stadium that has seen nothing but trouble since its inception.

National Music Centre

Discover National Music Centre in Calgary, Alberta: Eclectic musical collection ranging from hurdy gurdies and orphicas to the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.

Fisgard Lighthouse

Discover Fisgard Lighthouse in Victoria, British Columbia: An operating lighthouse from the 1860s.

Lake on the Mountain

Discover Lake on the Mountain in Prince Edward, Ontario: A mysterious lake provides fresh water without any source, somehow restoring itself from atop its mountaintop perch.

Tunnels of Moose Jaw

Discover Tunnels of Moose Jaw in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan: Underground tunnels once home to crime are now back open to the public.

Halifax Explosion Memorial

Discover Halifax Explosion Memorial in Halifax, Nova Scotia: The city of Halifax still bears the scars of the largest explosion prior to the atomic bomb.

Edouard Arsenault Bottle Houses

Discover Edouard Arsenault Bottle Houses in Wellington County, Prince Edward Island: Three buildings constructed of over 25,000 multicolored glass bottles.

Temagami Fire Tower

Discover Temagami Fire Tower in Temagami, Ontario: Stunning views over Ontario's old-growth pine forests.

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i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 260 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. 474 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. 499 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. 633 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. 135 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. 167 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). 252 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 148 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. 96 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. 166

PP ToS