Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Abandoned Airfield Rangsdorf

Discover Abandoned Airfield Rangsdorf in Rangsdorf, Germany: The ruined remains of the airport Claus von Stauffenberg departed in his failed attempt to kill Adolf Hitler.

Ordensburg Vogelsang

Discover Ordensburg Vogelsang in Schleiden, Germany: This former Nazi castle was built as a school to train what would have been the future of the Third Reich.

Castle Werdenfels

Discover Castle Werdenfels in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany: The stones of this formerly witch-obsessed castle were used to build a church.

St. Nicholas Church

Discover St. Nicholas Church in Gommern, Germany: The resting place of 18th century German mummies.

Einsteinturm

Discover Einsteinturm in Potsdam, Germany: Solar observatory doubles as a daring display of Expressionist architecture, much to Einstein's chagrin.

Eisbachwelle

Discover Eisbachwelle in Munich, Germany: Go surfing on this urban wave, "hacked" by local surfers.

Pinkelbaum (Peeing Tree)

Discover Pinkelbaum (Peeing Tree) in Frankfurt, Germany: After years of being casually peed on by humans, this tree is peeing back.

Dingolfing Ossuary

Discover Dingolfing Ossuary in Dingolfing, Germany: In a small churchyard in Dingolfing, Germany the quaint Schusterkapelle is there to remind you of your imminent mortality.

German Food Additives Museum

Discover German Food Additives Museum in Hamburg, Germany: A fascinating little museum dedicated to the thousands of chemical substances concealed in our food.

Ehekarussell

Discover Ehekarussell in Nuremberg, Germany: This lurid German fountain plots the sad course of marriage from dating to death.

Dahlem-Dorf U-Bahn Station Benches

Discover Dahlem-Dorf U-Bahn Station Benches in Berlin, Germany: A traditional U-Bahn station in Berlin gets a string of rather untraditional benches.

Plastinarium

Discover Plastinarium in Guben, Germany: The home of the morbid art of corpse plastination is open for visitors to view the fascinating, but stomach-churning process.

Cologne’s Love Locks Bridge

Discover Cologne's Love Locks Bridge in Cologne, Germany: Thousands of tourists and residents in Cologne affix "love padlocks" on the Hohenzollernbrücke Bridge to symbolize their affections.

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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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