Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Gilboa Fossils

Discover Gilboa Fossils in Gilboa, New York: This Catskills museum preserves stumps from the earliest known fossil forest on Earth.

Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth

Discover Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth in Kolkata, India: This historic complex is home to the oldest Christian grave in Kolkata, India.

Grave of ‘America’s Oldest Man’

Discover Grave of 'America's Oldest Man' in Bartow, Florida: Charlie Smith was almost certainly not 137 years old when he died, but why let that get in the way of a great story?

Doane Rock

Discover Doane Rock in Eastham, Massachusetts: The largest glacial erratic boulder on Cape Cod.

‘El Perfil del Tiempo’

Discover 'El Perfil del Tiempo' in Mexico City, Mexico: A "time traveler's" vision of human history stretches throughout Mexico City's Copilco metro station.

Bronx Zoo ‘Fountain of Youth’

Discover Bronx Zoo 'Fountain of Youth' in Bronx, New York: Hidden inside one of the world's most well-visited zoos is a secret plaque promising eternal life.

Egg Fields of Savo Island

Discover Egg Fields of Savo Island in Panueli, Solomon Islands: Megapodes incubate their eggs using the heat of an active volcano on this Pacific isle.

Barney Family Mausoleum

Discover Barney Family Mausoleum in Springfield, Massachusetts: The final resting place of a wealthy landowner who helped create the largest public park in Western Massachusetts.

The Flying Horse

Discover The Flying Horse in Nottingham, England: A 15th-century former coaching inn forms the implausibly grand entrance to a 1980s shopping mall.

Kakku Pagodas

Discover Kakku Pagodas in Myanmar (Burma): This unique temple complex remains off the typical tourist trail.

Runestone in Gamla Uppsala Church

Discover Runestone in Gamla Uppsala Church in Uppsala, Sweden: This mysterious runestone embedded in a church wall is linked to the medieval cult of Saint Erik.

Bratislava’s Hidden Bunkers

Discover Bratislava’s Hidden Bunkers in Bratislava, Slovakia: A line of disused military bunkers built to defend against Nazi invasion lies hidden on the outskirts of the city.

Swinburne Island

Discover Swinburne Island in Staten Island, New York: This abandoned artificial island off the coast of New York City is now home to dozens of harbor seals.

Pippi Longstocking’s House

Discover Pippi Longstocking's House in Vimmerby, Sweden: A replica of the beloved character's house, modeled after the author's own drawings.

Grave of Philibert Aspairt

Discover Grave of Philibert Aspairt in Paris, France: The tombstone of an unfortunate explorer who disappeared in the Paris Catacombs.

Howard Theatre

Discover Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C.: Through the decades, Black music stars have performed at this historic hub for music and the arts.

‘Imprensa’ Mural

Discover 'Imprensa' Mural in São Paulo, Brazil: A beautiful midcentury mural by the famed Brazilian modernist artist Emiliano Di Cavalcanti.

Urine Deflectors of Fleet Street

Discover Urine Deflectors of Fleet Street in London, England: One of the few remaining examples of 19th-century London’s attempt to clean up its reputation.

Central Filing Bar

Discover Central Filing Bar in New York, New York: A hidden bar inside an ad agency has a deliberately misleading name, so employees can stay late under pretext of paperwork.

Seaweed Pie

Discover Seaweed Pie in : Made from local Irish moss, this pie is served only in Prince Edward Island's potato museum.

Menu

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