Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Black Tulip Museum

Discover Black Tulip Museum in Lisse, Netherlands: A journey through 430 years of bulbiculture in the Netherlands.

PsychoBarn

Discover PsychoBarn in London, England: A traditional American farmhouse plopped in the middle of a Piccadilly courtyard.

Doug Murdick’s Rooftop Box of Fudge

Discover Doug Murdick’s Rooftop Box of Fudge in Traverse City, Michigan: For more than 50 years, an iconic sign has greeted visiting “fudgies” to the Traverse City area.

Torcello Bell Tower

Discover Torcello Bell Tower in Venice, Italy: Stare out over the lagoon and beyond from this 10th-century campanile on the island where the city of Venice began.

San Martino al Cimino

Discover San Martino al Cimino in San Martino Al Cimino, Italy: This medieval Italian village was transformed into an architectural marvel by the famous "Papessa" Donna Olimpia.

Straw Museum

Discover Straw Museum in Wohlen, Switzerland: A rare museum dedicated to a rather overlooked material in the history of fashion.

Museo Antonini

Discover Museo Antonini in Nazca, Peru: This archaeological museum in one of Peru’s most intriguing regions exhibits ancient artifacts from the Nazca civilization.

The Last Known Carville House

Discover Last Known Carville House in San Francisco, California: The sole surviving relic of the San Francisco neighborhood cobbled together from old horsecars and streetcars.

‘Coastline’ Wave Pool

Discover 'Coastline' Wave Pool in Silver Spring, Maryland: Live data is transmitted from the Atlantic coast to instantly recreate the ocean waves in this fountain at the NOAA headquarters.

Bunnyhenge

Discover Bunnyhenge in Newport Beach, California: Fourteen curious and controversial white bunnies sit in a circle near Newport Beach City Hall.

Jjajang Myeon Museum

Discover Jjajang Myeon Museum in Incheon, South Korea: This tiny museum immortalizes the birthplace of an iconic Chinese-Korean noodle dish.

Estadio Centenario

Discover Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay: This historic stadium was built to host the first-ever FIFA World Cup.

Dollhouse Museum

Discover Dollhouse Museum in Warsaw, Poland: A delightful museum entirely dedicated to the tiny homes of dolls.

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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