Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Peñalara National Park

Discover Peñalara National Park in Rascafría, Spain: A breathtaking and biodiverse wilderness in the mountain setting of Ernest Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls.".

Georgiana Cemetery

Discover Georgiana Cemetery in Merritt Island, Florida: Believed to be haunted, this old cemetery is beautifully adorned with Spanish moss hanging from the trees.

The Cork Convent

Discover Convent of the Capuchos in Colares, Portugal: The verdant mossy ruins of a Franciscan monastery lie in the remote Sintra hills awaiting exploration.

Mr. Imagination’s Memory Wall

Discover Mr. Imagination's Memory Wall in Sanford, Florida: This whimsical outsider art wall holds tiny treasures donated by the local community.

Old Cahawba Archeological Park

Discover Old Cahawba Archeological Park in Orrville, Alabama: This ghost town houses the remains of Alabama's old state capital.

Berzelius Park

Discover Berzelius Park in Stockholm, Sweden: This statue and park honor the Swedish chemist Jacob Berzelius, one of the founders of modern chemistry.

Park Tunnel

Discover Park Tunnel in England: An engineering error ensured this cavernous 350-foot-long subterranean thoroughfare was never used as intended.

Venice Beach Poet’s Monument

Discover Venice Beach Poet's Monument in Los Angeles, California: The words of the neighborhood's most famous poets adorn four concrete walls.

Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant

Discover Ali Barbour's Cave Restaurant in Diani Beach, Kenya: Drink and dine in a coral cave that's at least 120,000 years old.

The São Paulo Museum of Art

Discover Museu de Arte de São Paulo in São Paulo, Brazil: This singular art museum in São Paulo is unique inside and out.

Grave of Rudolf Kwiek

Discover Grave of Rudolf Kwiek in Warsaw, Poland: The final resting place of the last "gypsy king" of Poland.

Roman Ruins of Salaborsa Library

Discover Roman Ruins of Salaborsa Library in Bologna, Italy: The remains of an ancient Roman city are hidden underneath Bologna's beautiful public library.

The Wheeler Historical Museum

Discover The Wheeler Historical Museum in Wheeler, Texas: A local museum honors Wheeler native Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon.

Kathmandu Durbar Square

Discover Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal: This historic square in Nepal is home to temples dating back to the third century.

Newborn Monument

Discover Newborn Monument in Pristina, Kosovo: This massive monument was unveiled the day Kosovo declared independence from Serbia.

Dedo de Deus

Discover Dedo de Deus in Jardim Anapolis, Brazil: Known as the "Finger of God," a dramatic rock formation resembles a divine hand extending towards the heavens.

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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

PP ToS