Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Museum of Radiology

Discover Museum of Radiology in Brussels, Belgium: Dummies recreate radiological discoveries from history.

Bueren Mountain

Discover Bueren Mountain in Liège, Belgium: This giant urban staircase was built to keep the city's brave fighting men from getting waylaid in the red light district.

Antwerp Ruien

Discover Antwerp Ruien in Antwerp, Belgium: An open-air sewer system that was covered piece-by-piece over 300 years.

Fort Eben-Emael

Discover Fort Eben-Emael in Bassenge, Belgium: This sprawling Belgian fort was once thought of as impenetrable but now it is simply an abandoned relic.

The Birthplace of ‘In Flanders Fields’

Discover The Birthplace of 'In Flanders Fields' in Ypres, Belgium: The site where one of the most famous poems of World War I was composed is preserved to honor the legacy of the work.

Blegny-Mine

Discover Blegny-Mine in Blegny, Belgium: Descend into the tunnels to experience the life of a coal miner.

Bibliotheca Wittockiana

Discover Bibliotheca Wittockiana in Brussels, Belgium: Only museum in the world devoted to bookbinding and book arts holds a permanent collection representing five centuries.

Hotel Casanus

Discover Hotel Casanus in Stekene, Belgium: Somewhere there is a giant who can no longer poop, but now travelers can stay inside his anus.

The Yorkshire Trench

Discover The Yorkshire Trench in Ypres, Belgium: In an area where the remnants of WWI are discovered on a regular basis this preserved frontline trench may be the most amazing.

Jeanneke Pis

Discover Jeanneke Pis in Brussels, Belgium: Brussels' favorite peeing boy has a sister.

The Zimmer Clock Tower and Museum

Discover The Zimmer Clock Tower and Museum in Lier, Belgium: A 14th-century fortified keep showcases the masterpieces of an ingenious 20th-century clockmaker.

Dr. Guislain Museum

Discover Dr. Guislain Museum in Ghent, Belgium: A Museum of Psychiatry in a still-operating mental institution.

Temple of Human Passions

Discover Temple of Human Passions in Brussels, Belgium: This Greek temple, open only an hour a day, was the site of a war of tastes between an architect and an artist.

Nemo 33

Discover Nemo 33 in Brussels, Belgium: One of the deepest indoor swimming pools in the world.

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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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