Archives: Atlas Obscuras

North Point Water Tower

Discover North Point Water Tower in Milwaukee, Wisconsin: What appears to be a wizard's lair in Milwaukee actually houses a massive water pipe.

Pulaski Tunnel Trail

Discover Pulaski Tunnel Trail in Wallace, Idaho: This trail leads to a mine that was used as a sanctuary during the Great Fire of 1910.

Octagon Hall Civil War Museum

Discover Octagon Hall Civil War Museum in Franklin, Kentucky: A unique home built by Andrew Jackson Caldwell that also served as a military hospital.

Hall of Fame Heimfeld

Discover Hall of Fame Heimfeld in Hamburg, Germany: One of the largest legal spray spots in Hamburg.

Agecroft Hall and Gardens

Discover Agecroft Hall and Gardens in Richmond, Virginia: A genuine Tudor manor transported piece by piece from England.

Café i Fårhus

Discover Café i Fårhus in Dala-järna, Sweden: This restaurant gives a new meaning to farm-to-table cuisine.

Tipoteca

Discover Tipoteca in Cornuda, Italy: This Italian museum is a one-of-a-kind celebration of printing and type.

Under

Discover Under in Lindesnes, Norway: The world's largest underwater restaurant is submerged off the southern tip of Norway.

Monumento alla Lavandaia

Discover Monumento alla Lavandaia in Pavia, Italy: An ode to the washerwomen who called Pavia home.

El Rey Ruins

Discover El Rey Ruins in Cancún, Mexico: A small collection of iguana-infested ruins hides amid Cancún's bustling hotel zone.

Pukará de Quitor

Discover Pukará de Quitor in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile: The ruins of a pre-Columbian fortress city so secure it held off the Spanish conquistadors for over 20 years.

Pollywogg Hollër

Discover Pollywogg Hollër in Belmont, New York: An off the grid woodland retreat that harkens back to days long forgotten.

Punta Guaque 01

Discover Punta Guaque 01 in Mejillones, Chile: This hidden pre-Columbian rock art depicts a whale hunt.

Albarracín-Cella Roman Aqueduct

Discover Albarracín-Cella Roman Aqueduct in Gea de Albarracín, Spain: This ancient tunnel is one of the most important examples of Roman hydraulic engineering in Spain.

Ripon Cathedral Crypt

Discover Ripon Cathedral Crypt in Ripon, England: Reputedly based on the tomb of Jesus Christ, this crypt is the oldest surviving structure of any cathedral in England.

Pasadena Cheeseburger Plaque

Discover Pasadena Cheeseburger Plaque in Pasadena, California: A California city claims to be the home of a fast-food classic.

Motte de la Jacquille

Discover Motte de la Jacquille in Fontenille, France: This 5,000-year-old tomb once had its own hinged door.

Hollycombe Steam in the Country

Discover Hollycombe Steam in the Country in Liphook, England: This incredible collection contains rare steam-powered engines, rides, and trains.

Sark Prison

Discover Sark Prison in Sark, Guernsey: One of the world's smallest prisons boasts just two small cells.

Menu

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

PP ToS