Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Hinckley Fire Museum

Discover Hinckley Fire Museum in Hinckley, Minnesota: Its collection contains relics from the devastating disaster that set the town ablaze.

St. Joseph Oratory

Discover St. Joseph Oratory in Detroit, Michigan: Once the tallest building in Detroit, this Gothic church houses some of the oldest stained-glass windows in the country.

Ponden Hall

Discover Ponden Hall in Stanbury, England: The English bed-and-breakfast believed to have inspired Emily Brontë's novel "Wuthering Heights.".

Luling Watermelon Water Tower

Discover Luling Watermelon Water Tower in Luling, Texas: A fruit-loving town welcomes visitors with a giant melon set against the sky.

Phra Achana

Discover Phra Achana in Tambon Mueang Kao, Thailand: An enormous Buddha peers through a gap in its ruined chamber.

Denver Omelet Plaque

Discover Denver Omelet Plaque in Denver, Colorado: This sidewalk tribute honors Colorado's great culinary creation.

The Hanging Church

Discover The Hanging Church in Cairo, Egypt: Standing atop 2nd-century Roman ruins, this church is one of the oldest and most iconic in Old Cairo.

The Aurochs Skull

Discover The Aurochs Skull in London, England: The gigantic skull of a long-extinct species that once roamed the forests of England and Ireland.

Rovaniemi’s Arctic Circle Border

Discover Rovaniemi's Arctic Circle Border in Rovaniemi, Finland: If you visit Santa's village, you can get your passport stamped to show you crossed into the Arctic Circle.

Volvo Ocean Race Museum

Discover Volvo Ocean Race Museum in Alicante, Spain: This interactive museum highlights the history and philosophy of one of the world's most difficult sailing races.

Wolf-God of Woodeaton

Discover Wolf-God of Woodeaton in London, England: A gruesome and mysterious ancient sculpture of a pagan deity from the Roman occupation of Celtic Britain.

Findlater Castle

Discover Findlater Castle in Portsoy, Scotland: These ruins are a hidden gem, complete with fantastic views over the cliff edge.

Shield of Parade

Discover Shield of Parade in London, England: This magnificently macabre shield shows the power of chivalrous love in medieval times.

The Rook in the Red Coat

Discover The Rook in the Red Coat in Canterbury, England: This strangely dressed taxidermy creature has a heartbreaking story.

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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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