Archives: Atlas Obscuras

World’s Longest Cuban Cigar

Discover World's Longest Cuban Cigar in Havana, Cuba: The enormous smoke hides within a little known, semi-secret exhibit inside Havana's Morro Castle Historic Park.

The Stone Arch Dam

Discover The Stone Arch Dam in Elgin, Ontario: Thanks to its curved shape, this incredibly durable dam "whispers" to visitors.

Arabia Mountain

Discover Arabia Mountain in Lithonia, Georgia: Like Mars, but much closer.

Home of the Brave

Discover Home of the Brave in Cisco, Utah: Within the former ghost town of Cisco is a carefully restored tiny town with one resident and its own art residency.

Grote Kerk

Discover Grote Kerk in Haarlem, Netherlands: This towering church is home to a world-famous organ and a treasure trove of medieval art.

Skepptuna Church

Discover Skepptuna Church in Stockholm, Sweden: A 12th-century church with a medieval fresco and an intriguing “Greek runestone.”.

Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic Calligraphy

Discover Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic Calligraphy in Jabriya, Kuwait: A private collection of over 30,000 ancient and modern items showcasing the beauty of Islamic calligraphy.

Hamburger Charlie

Discover Hamburger Charlie in Seymour, Wisconsin: A statue honors the genius who allegedly first took a meatball and made it into a hamburger.

Fairfax Nike Missile Site

Discover Fairfax Nike Missile Site in Fairfax, Virginia: A lone historical marker off the highway and scattered debris are all that remain of this Cold War-era missile site.

Royal Shipyards of Seville

Discover Royal Shipyards of Seville in Seville, Spain: Its appearance in "Game of Thrones" may spur on the long-awaited restoration of this medieval shipyard.

Nesting Turtles of Wa Ale Island

Discover Nesting Turtles of Wa Ale Island in Kawthaung, Myanmar (Burma): How often do you find security guards patrolling tropical beaches to protect rare sea turtles from poachers? .

Cloverland Ghost Town

Discover Cloverland Ghost Town in Asotin, Washington: The century-old remains of an abandoned farm town in eastern Washington.

The Moomin House

Discover The Moomin House in Naantali, Finland: A replica of the home of a famous fictional troll family.

Mermaid Inlet Cliffs

Discover Mermaid Inlet Cliffs in Currarong, Australia: These sea cliffs are an epic natural wonder.

Ben’s Chili Bowl Mural

Discover Ben's Chili Bowl Mural in Washington, D.C.: A gorgeous mural outside a beloved D.C. restaurant pays homage to famous Black Americans.

Castillo Carlota Palmerola

Discover Castillo Carlota Palmerola in Areguá, Paraguay: An unlikely neo-Gothic castle in the Paraguayan countryside.

Van Kleef Museum and Distillery

Discover Van Kleef Museum and Distillery in The Hague, Netherlands: Rumored to have been frequented by Vincent van Gogh, it's the only remaining genever producer in the Hague.

Blenheim Gardens Estate

Discover Blenheim Gardens Estate in London, England: A wonderfully preserved example of London's 1960s-style high-density, low-rise public housing.

Elgin Cemetery Sentimental Statues

Discover Elgin Cemetery Sentimental Statues in Green River, Utah: A cemetery full of touching tombstones from a community of railroad workers, uranium miners, and Cold War missile launchers.

World’s Largest Brown Trout Sculpture

Discover World’s Largest Brown Trout Sculpture in Baldwin, Michigan: This enormous fish commemorates the unplanned release of brown trout into a Michigan river.

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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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