Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Velvet Revolution Monument

Discover Velvet Revolution Monument in Prague, Czechia: Nine bronze hands protruding from a wall honor the student uprising that led to the fall of Czechoslovakia's Communist government.

Faroe Islands One-Lane Tunnels

Discover Faroe Islands One-Lane Tunnels in Faroe Islands: The narrow passages will challenge even the bravest driver.

Kettle’s Yard

Discover Kettle's Yard in Cambridge, England: Students can borrow artwork from this gallery to display in their own residences.

Cassinelli Pasta

Discover Cassinelli Pasta in Queens, New York: The oldest pastificio in Queens offers visitors fresh noodles and a peek inside the macaroni-making magic.

Granada War Relocation Center

Discover Granada War Relocation Center in Granada, Colorado: The remains of a World War II-era Japanese American internment camp dot a windswept Colorado hill.

Arctic Circle Monument Sign

Discover Arctic Circle Monument Sign in Alaska: The stickered marker pinpoints where the only maintained road in the United States crosses into the polar region.

The Caves of Nottingham

Discover The Caves of Nottingham in Nottingham, England: A labyrinthine underworld of tunnels and caverns hides beneath the city.

Horniman Aquarium

Discover Horniman Aquarium in London, England: A wonderfully eclectic Victorian aquarium lies in the basement of the Horniman Museum.

The Fairy Well

Discover The Fairy Well in Glynn, Northern Ireland: A former watering trough turned local heritage site.

Dunnet Head Lighthouse

Discover Dunnet Head Lighthouse in Dunnet, Scotland: The most northern place on the mainland of Great Britain.

Abandoned King View Resort

Discover Abandoned King View Resort in Sa Khu, Thailand: A forsaken beachfront condo abandoned after the Boxing Day Tsunami.

Black Hole Falls

Discover Black Hole Falls in Canning, Nova Scotia: A beautiful waterfall and beach where precious stones are plentiful.

The Grave of Bonnie Parker

Discover The Grave of Bonnie Parker in Dallas, Texas: The final resting place of an outlaw, whose legend grew after death.

Walter Hohmann Monument

Discover Walter Hohmann Monument in Hardheim, Germany: A scale rocket of an Ariane 5 rocket serves as a monument to a pioneer of space science.

Kitson Meyer Locomotive

Discover Kitson Meyer Locomotive in Taltal, Chile: The antique vehicle is a preserved relic of Chile's nitrate mining industry.

Los Arcos Aqueduct

Discover Los Arcos Aqueduct in Teruel, Spain: This multi-level, aqueduct-footbridge hybrid is one of the greatest works of the Spanish Renaissance.

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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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