Archives: Atlas Obscuras

The Copiapó

Discover The Copiapó in Copiapó, Chile: South America's oldest surviving locomotive.

Arthur B. Cohn House

Discover Arthur B. Cohn House in Houston, Texas: A historic, century-old house plopped along the perimeter of Houston's ballpark.

Cenote Palomitas

Discover Cenote Palomitas in Yalcobá, Mexico: Take a dip beneath the stalactites in this amazing cenote.

Sewoon Sangga (Sewoon Plaza)

Discover Sewoon Sangga (Sewoon Plaza) in Seoul, South Korea: Its humdrum facade only adds to its electrifying appeal: a rooftop with panoramic views of a shapeshifting metropolis.

Kona Coffee Living History Farm

Discover Kona Coffee Living History Farm in Captain Cook, Hawaii: Try your hand at old-fashioned coffee growing at this museum devoted to one of the world's most coveted beans.

Museum Tinguely

Discover Museum Tinguely in Basel, Switzerland: An interactive exhibition space dedicated to the kinetic sculptures of Swiss artist Jean Tinguely.

Warm Glow Candle Outlet

Discover Warm Glow Candle Outlet in Centerville, Indiana: A giant lumpy candle serves as a beacon for this highly scented pit stop.

Black Mountain

Discover Black Mountain in Rossville, Australia: Legend says entire herds of cattle have disappeared within this boulder-strewn landscape.

‘The Dinner Party’

Discover 'The Dinner Party' in Brooklyn, New York: This enormous banquet-themed artwork honors over 1,000 notable women throughout history.

Hitchcock Ichnological Cabinet

Discover Hitchcock Ichnological Cabinet in Amherst, Massachusetts: This exhibit is one of the largest and most well-preserved collections of Jurassic-era trackways in the United States.

Africville Museum

Discover Africville Museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia: Housed inside a replica church, its collection honors the Black community displaced by the Halifax government.

Texas Triffid Ranch

Discover Texas Triffid Ranch in Richardson, Texas: "Dallas’s pretty much only carnivorous plant gallery.".

Birmingham Walk of Stars

Discover Birmingham Walk of Stars in Birmingham, England: The star-studded street honors the city's most notable Brummies.

Free Range Film Barn

Discover Free Range Film Barn in Wrenshall, Minnesota: This century-old barn is home to a homey, eclectic film festival.

Lakeview Gusher

Discover Lakeview Gusher in Maricopa, California: Remnants of the United States's largest accidental oil spill still mar a California valley.

Talking Poles

Discover Talking Poles in Tokoroa, New Zealand: The wooden sculptures are studded throughout a small New Zealand town.

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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

PP ToS