Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Surfing Madonna

Discover Surfing Madonna in Encinitas, California: What began as an illegal art installation has become a symbol for unity, ocean awareness, and coastline preservation.

Santo Stefano Prison

Discover Santo Stefano Prison in Ventotene, Italy: Built to be the ideal penitentiary, this abandoned panopticon saw several revolts and even a prisoners' coup.

The Canaletto Room

Discover The Canaletto Room in Warsaw, Poland: These 18th-century paintings of Warsaw were used to reconstruct the city after World War II.

The Last Remaining Sigma Derby Machine

Discover The Last Remaining Sigma Derby Machine in Las Vegas, Nevada: Fans of vintage Vegas, kitsch, and toy pony-based gambling now flock to a casino called The D.

Salo Art Museum

Discover Salo Art Museum in Lviv, Ukraine: This cheeky restaurant has a serious devotion to lard sculptures.

V&A Dog Memorials

Discover V&A Dog Memorials in London, England: Hidden in the courtyard of the Victoria and Albert Museum is a little-known tribute to two celebrity pooches.

Grave of Fiddlin’ John Carson

Discover Grave of Fiddlin' John Carson in Atlanta, Georgia: The first singer to cut a country music record is buried in a small graveyard in Atlanta, Georgia.

Picture Canyon

Discover Picture Canyon in Flagstaff, Arizona: A nature and cultural preserve named for its multitude of petroglyphs carved by the Northern Sinagua people.

Monolith of Tlaloc

Discover Monolith of Tlaloc in Mexico City, Mexico: This colossal ancient sculpture of the monstrous Aztec rain god has a literally stormy history.

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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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