Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Gerbrandy Tower

Discover Gerbrandy Tower in IJsselstein, Netherlands: Tower that turns into world's tallest Christmas tree.

Exposure

Discover Exposure in Lelystad, Netherlands: This giant wire frame man sculpture is crouched in contemplation.

Noletmolen

Discover Noletmolen in Schiedam, Netherlands: Wind power station for making famous Ketel One vodka.

Paul McCarthy’s Santa Claus

Discover Paul McCarthy's Santa Claus in Rotterdam, Netherlands: Rotterdammers' dirty minds gave this santa a dirty nickname and cursed it to a life of wandering.

Bataviawerf

Discover Bataviawerf in Lelystad, Netherlands: Building Men of War and Indiamen from Holland's Golden Age.

Einstein’s Sink

Discover Einstein's Sink in Leiden, Netherlands: A lecture hall sink once used by Einstein and other noted physicists is now regarded as a strange science relic.

Czar Peter House

Discover Czar Peter House in Zaandam, Netherlands: The place where Czar Peter I of Russia resided in 1697 during his Grand Embassy.

Tree Trunk Garden House

Discover Tree Trunk Garden House in Hilversum, Netherlands: Dutch woodpile home in the forest.

Gebouw Leidsch Dagblad Elephant Drainpipe

Discover Gebouw Leidsch Dagblad Elephant Drainpipe in Leiden, Netherlands: This historic Dutch newspaper building is covered with media-themed details—and one unrelated oddity.

Hotel de Bilderberg

Discover Hotel de Bilderberg in Oosterbeek, Netherlands: An idyllic hotel that gave its name to a supposed shadow government.

Masonic Temple Loge La Vertu

Discover Masonic Temple Loge La Vertu in Leiden, Netherlands: One of the oldest masonic temples in the Netherlands, built in 1757.

Basiliek Oudenbosch

Discover Basiliek Oudenbosch in Oudenbosch, Netherlands: Scale model of St. Peter's Cathedral (Rome) in the middle of a small Dutch town.

Leiden Stones

Discover Leiden Stones in Leiden, Netherlands: A trio of red, white, and blue stones embedded in the streets of Leiden are markers of medieval territory and law.

Rozenburg Wind Wall

Discover Rozenburg Wind Wall in Europoort Rotterdam, Netherlands: The Rozenberg wind wall in South Holland makes for smooth sailing through the Calandbrug canal.

Bottle-ship Museum

Discover Bottle-ship Museum in Enkhuizen, Netherlands: The world's largest collection of ships in bottles.

Shipwreck and Beachcombing Museum

Discover Shipwreck and Beachcombing Museum in De Koog, Netherlands: The history of sea-faring refuse and disaster is on cramped display in this Netherlands folk museum.

The Luchtsingel

Discover The Luchtsingel in Rotterdam, Netherlands: Built by crowdsourcing, this wooden foot bridge saved a part of Rotterdam that was languishing in wait of city funding.

Cigar Band House

Discover Cigar Band House in Volendam, Netherlands: Mosaics created from 11 million cigar bands.

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i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 260 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. 474 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. 499 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. 633 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. 135 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. 167 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). 252 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 148 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. 96 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. 166

PP ToS