Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Abacus Clock

Discover Abacus Clock in Garching bei München, Germany: This unique abacus hanging in the Technical University of Munich actually tells the time.

Rozhledna Doubravka

Discover Rozhledna Doubravka in Prague, Czechia: A massive, abstract lookout tower providing a panoramic view of Prague.

Casa Na Bolom

Discover Casa Na Bolom in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico: The former house of an anthropologist couple displays Lacandón Maya artifacts in a homey atmosphere.

Mercado Melchor Múzquiz Murals

Discover Mercado Melchor Múzquiz Murals in Mexico City, Mexico: Outside a market, beautiful murals pay tribute to fruit sellers and farmers, as well as a few legendary artists.

Perry Hannah Statue

Discover Perry Hannah Statue in Traverse City, Michigan: Locals often dress this effigy of Traverse City's founder in festive outfits.

Handel & Hendrix in London

Discover Handel & Hendrix in London in London, England: The next-door homes of two very different musicians, George Frideric Handel and Jimi Hendrix.

Coldfoot Camp

Discover Coldfoot Camp in Coldfoot, Alaska: The northernmost truck stop in the United States.

‘Alice in Wonderland’ Windows

Discover 'Alice in Wonderland' Windows in Oxford, England: The stoic structure boasts a whimsical set of stained glass art commemorating Lewis Carroll.

Windmill Island Gardens

Discover Windmill Island Gardens in Holland, Michigan: The park is home to the United States's only still-operating Dutch windmill.

‘The Salmon of Knowledge’

Discover 'The Salmon of Knowledge' in Belfast, Northern Ireland: A giant sculpture of the legendary "Salmon of Knowledge" celebrates the return of fish to Belfast's River Lagan.

Wiseman Massacre Monument

Discover Wiseman Massacre Monument in St. James, Nebraska: This simple stone monument honors a 19th-century tragedy.

Zak Bagans Haunted Museum

Discover Zak Bagans Haunted Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada: A collection of haunted objects and macabre oddities under one roof.

Museo Torre Font Bona

Discover Museo Torre Font Bona in Banyeres de Mariola, Spain: An archaeological museum squeezed into a narrow 15th-century gate tower accessed only by a spiral staircase.

Geographic Center of New York City

Discover Geographic Center of New York City in Queens, New York: This mysterious marker puzzles pedestrians and infuriates geographers.

Colorado Low Point

Discover Colorado Low Point in St. Francis, Colorado: While other states boast lower points than Colorado, Colorado has the highest low point of any other state in the U.S.

Demon in the Cemetery

Discover Demon in the Cemetery in Malabon, Philippines: A very peculiar and macabre statue calls Tugatog Cemetery home.

Hythe Library Museum

Discover Hythe Library Museum in Hythe, England: This vintage weapons display would be the perfect place for bibliophiles to hold out in a zombie apocalypse.

Gertrudis Bocanegra Public Library

Discover Gertrudis Bocanegra Public Library in Pátzcuaro, Mexico: This 16th-century church now has a heavenly second life as a cultural hub of Pátzcuaro.

Chinkultic

Discover Chinkultic in Mexico: The Acropolis of this little-visited Mayan archaeological site offers great views of Chiapas’s Lake District.

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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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