Archives: Atlas Obscuras

The Broken Bells of St. Mary’s

Discover The Broken Bells of St. Mary's in Lübeck, Germany: The bells remain in a shattered heap exactly as they fell when the church was bombed in World War II.

Berlin’s Shot Ball Tower

Discover Schrotkugelturm (Shot Ball Tower) in Berlin, Germany: A century-old shot ball factory tower is open to the public once a year.

Nerobergbahn

Discover Nerobergbahn in Wiesbaden, Germany: A rare water-powered funicular, it uses a huge tank of water and gravity to do its work.

Dresden Codex

Discover Dresden Codex in Dresden, Germany: To the great disappointment of doomsdayers, this codex merely contains records of the Moon and Venus.

Heidelberg Tun

Discover Heidelberg Tun in Heidelberg, Germany: Sitting in the basement of a castle, the largest wine barrel in the world is bigger than most apartments.

Secret Military Bunker Kossa

Discover Secret Military Bunker Kossa in Laußig, Germany: This East German military command bunker was ready for World War III.

Kindergarten Wolfartsweier

Discover Kindergarten Wolfartsweier in Karlsruhe, Germany: A kindergarten shaped like a cat with a tail that's a slide.

The Ludwigshöhe

Discover The Ludwigshöhe in Darmstadt, Germany: A former Nazi lookout tower with a magnificent view of the Rhineland.

Rote Flora

Discover Rote Flora in Hamburg, Germany: This contentious squat has stood through fire, violence, and government intervention as a hotbed of leftist protest.

The Relics of Munich Residenz

Discover The Relics of Munich Residenz in Munich, Germany: This magnificent museum claims to house the cranium of a disciple and the skull of a pope.

The Relics of Munich Residenz

Discover The Relics of Munich Residenz in Munich, Germany: This magnificent museum claims to house the cranium of a disciple and the skull of a pope.

The Living Fence

Discover The Living Fence in Ohrdruf, Germany: Made from trees and then abandoned, this fence is still growing along a path in Germany.

Zollverein

Discover Zollverein in Essen, Germany: The Bauhaus-style former industrial complex is considered the world's most beautiful coal mine.

Karl Marx House

Discover Karl Marx House in Trier, Germany: The birthplace of Karl Marx is now a museum dedicated to the communist revolutionary's life and work.

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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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