Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Kyoto Garden

Discover Kyoto Garden in London, England: A little slice of Japan and its aesthetics in London's Holland Park.

Victoria Amazonica

Discover Victoria Amazonica in Leiden, Netherlands: People have been placing babies on these lilies for photoshoots since the Victorian era.

Roche Rock Hermitage

Discover Roche Rock Hermitage in Roche, England: This ruined 15th-century hermitage is steeped in myth and mystery.

Coade Stone Caryatids

Discover Coade Stone Caryatids in London, England: A measuring mishap led to these artificial stone ladies losing their stomachs.

Velika Planina

Discover Velika Planina in Stahovica, Slovenia: An otherworldly alpine pasture with its own unique microculture that recalls Middle Earth.

Skatehal Arnhem

Discover Skatehal Arnhem in Arnhem, Netherlands: A long-closed church turned into a saintly skate park.

La Pasita

Discover La Pasita in Puebla, Mexico: This cluttered cantina is famed for its cheese-spiked, raisin-flavored liqueur.

Sunken Crosses of Malpique

Discover Sunken Crosses of Malpique in La Palma, Spain: This underwater graveyard commemorates a group of murdered 16th-century missionaries.

Panyer Boy

Discover Panyer Boy in London, England: A mysterious carving from 17th-century London seemingly depicts a young boy sitting on a bread basket.

The Patriarch Tree

Discover The Patriarch Tree in Santa Rita do Passa Quatro, Brazil: This magnificent tree towering over the Atlantic rainforest is one of the oldest and largest in Brazil.

Whitefriars Crypt

Discover Whitefriars Crypt in London, England: Buried for centuries, this hidden cellar is all that remains of London's medieval Whitefriars Monastery.

Ballyedmonduff Wedge Tomb

Discover Ballyedmonduff Wedge Tomb in Ballyedmonduff, Ireland: This Bronze Age tomb is the centerpiece of a clearing within a beautiful Irish forest.

The Deadhouse

Discover The Deadhouse in London, England: Tombstones and enigmatic inscriptions hide within a vault beneath a popular London arts venue.

Z Ward

Discover Z Ward in Glenside, Australia: A perfectly preserved abandoned criminal asylum in South Australia.

World’s End Close

Discover World's End Close in Edinburgh, Scotland: This otherwise ordinary close on the Royal Mile was, quite literally, the end of the world for Edinburgh’s poorest residents.

Koilos Sculpture

Discover Koilos Sculpture in Bala, Ontario: This nomadic monster has divided opinions as it prowls across Canada.

Alta Vista Petroglyph Complex

Discover Alta Vista Petroglyph Complex in Chacala, Mexico: Tucked along a river are enigmatic stone carvings created thousands of years ago.

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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

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