Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Germantown Covered Bridge

Discover Germantown Covered Bridge in Germantown, Ohio: This bridge uses an inverted bowstring truss and is believed to be the only of its kind in the United States.

Wells Dinosaur Haven

Discover Wells Dinosaur Haven in Uncasville, Connecticut: A free display of artistic lifesize dinosaur sculptures in a backyard garden.

Star Mosque

Discover Star Mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh: A tiny mosque decorated with mosaics using an early form of recycling.

Jungfrau Park

Discover Jungfrau Park in Interlaken, Switzerland: A Swiss amusement park entirely dedicated to the theory of ancient astronauts.

The Pyramid of El Cerrito

Discover The Pyramid of El Cerrito in El Pueblito, Mexico: The ruins of an ancient pyramid built by the mysterious Chupícuaro civilization.

National Botanical Conservatory of Brest

Discover National Botanical Conservatory of Brest in Brest, France: Admire endangered plants in a verdant garden that looks straight out of a Monet painting.

B52 Crash Site

Discover B52 Crash Site in Greenville, Maine: The debris forms a solemn memorial to those who died in a 1963 accident.

Kylemore Abbey

Discover Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, Ireland: A stunning Victorian abbey and walled garden on a lakefront.

Castle of Magyarózd

Discover Castle of Magyarózd in Ozd, Romania: Home of the first female Hungarian poet, where her secret writing lay hidden for over a century.

Austrian State Archives

Discover Austrian State Archives in Vienna, Austria: More than a millennium's worth of municipal records preserve the political history of Austria.

Living Water Wayside Chapel

Discover Living Water Wayside Chapel in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario: Only six people can sit inside this delightfully quaint sanctuary.

Northampton Museum and Gallery

Discover Northampton Museum and Gallery in Northampton, England: The museum houses one of the world's largest shoe collections, boasting over 12,000 pairs.

Pozo de Nieve Roundabout

Discover Pozo de Nieve Roundabout in Ibi, Spain: A replica of the ice houses that once formed the basis of a local ice cream industry sits proudly in the middle of traffic.

Museo de Filatelia de Oaxaca

Discover Museo de Filatelia de Oaxaca in Oaxaca, Mexico: This amazing collection includes rare stamps from around the world, including fluorescent ones.

Baldwin Hotel Museum

Discover Baldwin Hotel Museum in Klamath Falls, Oregon: This hotel has hardly changed in over a century, like a time capsule of old Oregon.

Calixtlahuaca

Discover Calixtlahuaca in Calixtlahuaca, Mexico: The striking and little-touristed ruins of an ancient city destroyed and rebuilt by the Aztecs.

Sea of Stars

Discover Sea of Stars in Vaadhoo, Maldives: Bioluminescence in the reefs of the Maldives causes the sea to glow like a starry night sky.

Leland Champion Cottonwood Tree

Discover Leland Champion Cottonwood Tree in Leland, Michigan: A preserved stump is all that remains of the once-mighty hardwood.

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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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