Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Elafonisi (Deer Island)

Discover Elafonisi (Deer Island) in Inachori, Greece: A small island with shimmering pink sands, home to loggerhead turtles and rare plants.

St. Ignatius Hospital

Discover St. Ignatius Hospital in Colfax, Washington: An abandoned 19th-century hospital now swirling in ghost stories.

All Saints Anglican Church

Discover All Saints Anglican Church in Ainslie, Australia: This church's unusual design comes from its previous life as a mortuary station.

Monastery of Our Lady of Sednayah

Discover Monastery of Our Lady of Sednayah in Sednayah, Syria: One of the oldest monasteries in the world is a key pilgrimage site for both Muslims and Christians.

River Under the First Bridge

Discover River Under the First Bridge in Los Angeles, California: An iconic location along the Los Angeles River where countless movie scenes are filmed.

The Playhouse Swillburger

Discover The Playhouse Swillburger in Rochester, New York: A bar, burger joint, and arcade housed in a late 19th-century church building.

The Wishing Steps

Discover The Wishing Steps in Allentown, Pennsylvania: The perfect spot for a couple to make their dreams come true.

Paradox Valley

Discover Paradox Valley in Bedrock, Colorado: A river runs through this remote valley in a very unexpected way.

Ashtabula Bridge Disaster Monument

Discover Ashtabula Bridge Disaster Monument in Ashtabula, Ohio: A monument to the “unrecognized dead” of the tragic 1876 train crash.

Ani Overlook

Discover Ani Overlook in Kharkov, Armenia: The observation point offers spectacular views of the ruins of an ancient Armenian capital.

Varenna Cemetery

Discover Varenna Cemetery in Varenna, Italy: An unusual resting place built into the hill with an amazing view of Lake Como.

Museo del Queso

Discover Museo del Queso in Casar de Cáceres, Spain: A cheese discovery made by shepherds became the pride of a region.

Portobello Bottle Kilns

Discover Portobello Bottle Kilns in Edinburgh, Scotland: The last remaining bottle-shaped kilns in Scotland stand alone in an Edinburgh suburb.

Willie the Walleye

Discover Willie the Walleye in Baudette, Minnesota: The largest Walleye statue in the world calls this Minnesota town home.

Unlock Hundarman Museum of Memories

Discover Unlock Hundarman Museum of Memories in India: A grassroots collection showcasing personal objects of family members separated by the post-1971 border between India and Pakistan.

Elbow Reef Lighthouse

Discover Elbow Reef Lighthouse in Elbow Cay, Bahamas: In the Bahamas sits a lighthouse that is among the last of its kind.

Saint Francis’s Beech Tree

Discover Saint Francis's Beech Tree in Rivodutri, Italy: Legend said this huge, gnarled tree sheltered the saint during a storm.

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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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