Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Montcalm Park

Discover Montcalm Park in Oswego, New York: This Upstate New York park squeezes a lot of history into its two-acre triangular space.

Stonehenge Aotearoa

Discover Stonehenge Aotearoa in Ahiaruhe, New Zealand: This modern New Zealand attraction honors ancient forms of astronomy and scientific understanding.

William Saroyan’s Grave

Discover William Saroyan's Grave in Yerevan, Armenia: Half of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author's ashes were buried in Armenia.

Abbotsford Convent

Discover Abbotsford Convent in Abbotsford, Australia: This 19th-century convent is now a flourishing 21st-century hub for art.

Cold Spring Tavern

Discover Cold Spring Tavern in Santa Barbara, California: Hidden in the Santa Ynez Mountains off Highway 154, this tiny restaurant once served as a stagecoach stop.

IBM Museum

Discover IBM Museum in Endicott, New York: Lurking behind an unassuming storefront is an incomparable cache of computer collectibles.

Mauritianum

Discover Mauritianum in Altenburg, Germany: This natural history museum houses one of the world's largest rat kings, a terrifying jumble of tangled rodents.

Iceland’s Museum of Prophecies

Discover Museum of Prophecies in Skagaströnd, Iceland: This museum dedicated to divination also honors a local 10th-century prophetess.

538 Johnson

Discover 538 Johnson in Brooklyn, New York: This 100-year-old former factory is now a DIY punk venue and hub for outsider art.

Glasgow Police Museum

Discover Glasgow Police Museum in Glasgow, Scotland: This hidden gem reveals the history of Britain's first police force.

Historischer Friseursalon

Discover Historischer Friseursalon in Altenburg, Germany: An incredibly well-preserved barbershop from the 1920s was transformed into a tiny local museum.

The Queen’s Chair

Discover The Queen's Chair in Leek, England: This stone throne invites adventurers to observe breathtaking views of the Peak District.

Fort Hill Cemetery

Discover Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, New York: The final resting place of Harriet Tubman and other famous historical figures.

Treepod Restaurant

Discover Treepod Restaurant in Amphoe Ko Kut, Thailand: Eat like a bird in a bamboo nest.

Cascada El Chiflón

Discover Cascada El Chiflón in San Cristobalito, Mexico: This series of waterfalls tumble into a radiantly blue river.

Matchbox Road Museum

Discover Matchbox Road Museum in Newfield, New Jersey: Thousands of Matchbox cars spanning generations call this New Jersey barn home.

Coade Stone Columns

Discover Coade Stone Columns in Edinburgh, Scotland: It's a mystery how these curious columns wound up in an Edinburgh suburb.

‘Asia in Ivory’

Discover 'Asia in Ivory' in Mexico City, Mexico: The collection of intricate sculptures includes one carved from a mammoth's tusk.

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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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