Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Edward M. Cotter

Discover Edward M. Cotter in Buffalo, New York: This vessel is believed to be the oldest operating fireboat in the world.

Lenny the Chocolate Moose

Discover Lenny the Chocolate Moose in Scarborough, Maine: This 1,700-pound edible sculpture is way better than your average chocolate mousse.

Egglestone Abbey

Discover Egglestone Abbey in County Durham, England: A little-known ruin with a convoluted history and a fascinating latrine drainage system.

Leroy’s Place

Discover Leroy's Place in Brooklyn, New York: This interactive gallery makes you feel like you've stepped into a fantasy world filled with whimsical monsters.

Bonomini Tomb

Discover Bonomini Tomb in Brescia, Italy: Legend says the only thing buried within this magnificent tomb was a dog.

Leland’s Historic Fishtown

Discover Leland's Historic Fishtown in Leland, Michigan: A charming remnant of 19th-century fishing towns sits on Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula.

Paris Catacombs Golem

Discover Paris Catacombs Golem in Paris, France: A mud statue stands in the dark tunnels, seeming to hold up the weight of the city above.

199 Steps Coffin Benches

Discover 199 Steps Coffin Benches in Whitby, England: These planks were originally installed to hold the dead.

‘Las Razas y La Cultura’ Mural

Discover 'Las Razas y La Cultura' Mural in Mexico City, Mexico: This stunning and ethereal mural symbolizes the beauty, unity, and diversity of humankind.

Alaverdi Monastery Cellar

Discover Alaverdi Monastery Cellar in Akhmeta, Georgia: Monks in the empyreal Alazani River valley have preserved their 1,000-year-old winemaking tradition.

Site of the Looby House Bombing

Discover Site of the Looby House Bombing in Nashville, Tennessee: An attack on a prominent Black attorney's house sparked a watershed moment in Nashville's civil rights movement.

National Museum of Qatar

Discover National Museum of Qatar in Doha, Qatar: The building is a gigantic piece of art inspired by the shape of a desert rose.

John Bonham’s Grave

Discover John Bonham's Grave in Rushock, England: The grave of the legendary "Bonzo" can often be seen covered in cymbals and drumsticks.

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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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