Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Nelsen’s Hall & Bitters Club

Discover Nelsen’s Hall & Bitters Club in Washington, Wisconsin: The oldest continuously-operating tavern in Wisconsin used a clever loophole to serve alcohol during Prohibition.

Boy Scout Catfish

Discover Boy Scout Catfish in Nashville, Tennessee: This quirky local sculpture is quite literally a fish out of water.

Sheroes’ Hangout

Discover Sheroes' Hangout in Agra, India: This small cafe aims to empower acid attack victims and stop violence against women in India.

Plaza de Armas

Discover Plaza de Armas in Cusco, Peru: Built on the remains of one the Incas’ most important gathering spots, this square keeps the spirit of a fallen empire alive.

Dos Palmas and San Andreas Springs

Discover Dos Palmas and San Andreas Springs in Mecca, California: These lush groves of fan palms rise up like oases out of southern California's Colorado Desert.

Isa Yusuf Alptekin Park

Discover Isa Yusuf Alptekin Park in Istanbul, Turkey: A tiny park in the middle of some big power politics.

Lou T. Fisk

Discover Lou T. Fisk in Madison, Minnesota: This giant fiberglass cod celebrates Madison's self-proclaimed status as the U.S. capital of lutefisk.

Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon

Discover Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon in Springfield, Illinois: One of the largest carillons in the world, this giant instrument has 67 cast-iron bells played by a keyboard.

Kuwait Water Towers

Discover Kuwait Water Towers in Kuwait City, Kuwait: Kuwait City's uniquely designed water towers look straight out of a retro sci-fi cityscape.

Clear Lake

Discover Clear Lake in Sisters, Oregon: The trunks of 3,000 year-old trees lurk beneath the surface of this crystal clear lake in Oregon.

Chilubula Mission

Discover Chilubula Mission in Mporokoso, Zambia: The first Catholic Mission to the Bemba people of Zambia still stands.

Venus Silver Mine

Discover Venus Silver Mine in Tagish, Yukon: The picturesque remains of an abandoned silver mine slope down to Tagish Lake in the Yukon.

Hacienda Lealtad

Discover Hacienda Lealtad in Lares, Puerto Rico: After years of neglect, new life is being breathed into this 19th-century coffee plantation.

The Ruins of Ryan Ranch

Discover The Ruins of Ryan Ranch in Twentynine Palms, California: The decaying adobe remains of an old homestead are just off the beaten path in Joshua Tree National Park.

Clarion Alley

Discover Clarion Alley in San Francisco, California: This one-block alleyway is stuffed with street art that is colorful, cultural, and intensely political.

Clifton Cliff Jail

Discover Clifton Cliff Jail in Clifton, Arizona: This Old West prison built into the side of a cliff was said to be inescapable.

Jane Burden’s Birthplace

Discover Jane Burden's Birthplace in Oxford, England: A plaque marks the humble origins of an artistic muse who embodied the ideals of Pre-Raphaelite beauty.

The Witches’ Tree

Discover The Witches' Tree in Louisville, Kentucky: Locals place their offerings on this nightmarish gnarled tree so the witches won't summon another storm.

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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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