Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Ken Sinsel’s Metal Sculptures

Discover Ken Sinsel's Metal Sculptures in New Cumberland, West Virginia: This California artist's front yard acts as a gallery for his unique, scrap metal animal sculptures.

Statue of Aryabhata

Discover Statue of Aryabhata in Pune, India: A tribute to the creator of the present day Hindu number system.

Silver Bridge Disaster Memorial

Discover Silver Bridge Disaster Memorial in Gallipolis, Ohio: The failure of one component toppled this entire bridge during rush hour.

Offham Quintain

Discover Offham Quintain in Offham, England: Horsemen once used this tilting post during jousting practice.

Abandoned Chacaltaya Ski Resort

Discover Abandoned Chacaltaya Ski Resort in La Paz, Bolivia: The world’s highest ski resort was deserted after an 18,000-year-old glacier melted away.

Alpacas of Curraghduff Farms

Discover Alpacas of Curraghduff Farms in Oughterard, Ireland: Fluffy and friendly alpacas nestled against the border of the beautiful Connemara region.

Powell-Cotton Ethnographic Collection

Discover Powell-Cotton Ethnographic Collection in Birchington-on-Sea, England: A vast archive of cultural artifacts collected from numerous expeditions across Africa and Asia.

Macuti Lighthouse and Shipwreck

Discover Macuti Lighthouse and Shipwreck in Beira, Mozambique: This rusted shipwreck directly in front of a century-old abandoned lighthouse looks almost surreal.

Grindhouse Video

Discover Grindhouse Video in Tampa, Florida: This video store is a horror buff's dream.

Monopteros

Discover Monopteros in Munich, Germany: This beautiful 19th-century temple stands atop the ruins of its predecessor.

Sternenweg Sculpture

Discover Sternenweg Sculpture in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina: This enormous abstract sculpture is part jungle gym, part elaborate noise-making machine.

Cantabrian Bears of Asturias

Discover Cantabrian Bears of Asturias in Cangas del Narcea, Spain: Head to the mountains to catch a glimpse of Spain's endangered subspecies of brown bear.

Old Beacon Hat Mill

Discover Old Beacon Hat Mill in Beacon, New York: A 19th century hat factory still stands as a crumbling ruin in upstate New York.

Campus Martius Museum

Discover Campus Martius Museum in Marietta, Ohio: Home to several unusual artifacts, including a huge painting of George Washington.

Ethyl the Whale

Discover Ethyl the Whale in Santa Fe, New Mexico: Life-sized sculpture of a blue whale made of hand-recycled plastic trash.

B&O Railroad Station and Willard Hotel

Discover B&O Railroad Station and Willard Hotel in Grafton, West Virginia: Two gems of Beaux Arts architecture that have been sitting vacant for years.

WaldMenschen Sculpture Trail

Discover WaldMenschen Sculpture Trail in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany: A series of haunting wooden totems are hidden in the woods surrounding a German environmental center.

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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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