Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Bacchus House

Discover Bacchus House in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The god of wine stares out at passersby on this busy Pittsburgh thoroughfare.

Jinja War Cemetery

Discover Jinja War Cemetery in Jinja, Uganda: The final resting place of soldiers who fell during the First and Second World Wars.

Yangykala Canyon

Discover Yangykala Canyon in Balkanabat, Turkmenistan: Few people have ever heard of, let alone visited, one of Turkmenistan’s most impressive natural attractions.

Whitby Horse Mounting Blocks

Discover Whitby Horse Mounting Blocks in Whitby, England: These carved, weathered stones once gave mail carriers and pub goers a leg up.

Statue of Jan Matejko

Discover Statue of Jan Matejko in Krakow, Poland: Extremely famous in his native country, this Cracovian painter is all but unknown beyond Polish borders.

Tombland Alley

Discover Tombland Alley in Norwich, England: A 16th-century footpath said to be haunted by a young girl that died trapped within its misshapen old house.

Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner & Diner-Saur Park

Discover Peggy Sue's 50's Diner & Diner-Saur Park in Yermo, California: Like a kitschy mirage in the Mojave, this eatery serves up classic 50s-style diner meals and a dinosaur sculpture garden.

George Orwell’s Grave

Discover George Orwell's Grave in Sutton Courtenay, England: In a sleepy village in Oxfordshire, the visionary English writer's gravesite attracts a yearly pilgrimage.

Rakvere Aurochs Statue

Discover Rakvere Aurochs Statue in Rakvere, Estonia: This behemoth bovine guards an Estonian town and is a memorial to the lost species.

Whiteman Minuteman Missile Site

Discover Whiteman Minuteman Missile Site in Knob Noster, Missouri: The only remaining Cold War–era Minuteman II missile control center in Missouri.

Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden

Discover Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden in Los Angeles, California: This “living museum” at UCLA exhibits thousands of plant species from all over the world.

Rokhat Kosher Bakery

Discover Rokhat Kosher Bakery in Queens, New York: Serving Central Asian breads that range from cracker-crisp to warm and fluffy, this bakery brings Bukhara to Queens.

Timbuktu Islamic Center Food Vendors

Discover Timbuktu Islamic Center Food Vendors in New York, New York: These small stands sell Malian snacks to worshippers and passersby after Friday prayers in Harlem.

Knickebein #12

Discover Knickebein #12 in Maulburg, Germany: Obscured within a ring of trees, this abandoned World War II relic hides on a German hillside.

Whitby Wishing Chair

Discover Whitby Wishing Chair in Whitby, England: Legend says squeezing into this slender stone seat will make your wish come true.

Bomi Blue Lake

Discover Bomi Blue Lake in Tubmanburg, Liberia: An abandoned mine pit is now a beautiful, colorful attraction.

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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