Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Puente de Occidente (Bridge of the West)

Discover Puente de Occidente (Bridge of the West) in Olaya, Colombia: What was once the longest suspension bridge in Latin America was directly inspired by the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.

Il-Barri Air Raid Shelter

Discover Il-Barri Air Raid Shelter in Mgarr, Malta: Hidden beneath a restaurant, underground tunnels tell the story of Malta’s tragic role in World War II.

Theodosian Wall Stone Ladder

Discover Theodosian Wall Stone Ladder in Istanbul, Turkey: Climb a set of vertiginous stone steps to the top of this impressive ancient edifice.

Lansing’s Rotary Steam Clock

Discover Lansing's Rotary Steam Clock in Lansing, Michigan: This mechanical wonder towers above a river in Michigan's capital city.

Point Grey Battery Ruins

Discover Point Grey Battery Ruins in Vancouver, British Columbia: Two graffiti towers stand like ghosts of Vancouver's World War II-era defensive outpost.

Casa Auto

Discover Casa Auto in Pergamino, Argentina: A father built this one-of-a-kind house in the shape of his son's race car.

Ciucarun

Discover Ciucarun in Bollengo, Italy: An abandoned bell tower in the middle of nowhere is the last testimony of a forgotten medieval village.

Cape of the Column

Discover Capo Colonna in Crotone, Italy: A single column facing the sea is all that's left of one of the most important temples of Magna Graecia.

Magyar Rádió

Discover Magyar Rádió in Budapest, Hungary: This quiet, unassuming spot in Budapest was the birthplace of the bloody 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

The Alfred Jewel

Discover The Alfred Jewel in Oxford, England: One of Oxford's greatest treasures likely belonged to the legendary King Alfred the Great.

Abe’s on Lincoln

Discover Abe's on Lincoln in Savannah, Georgia: This bar hosts an ever-evolving napkin art installation devoted to an American president.

Medical Museion

Discover Medical Museion in Copenhagen, Denmark: A novel collection of medical curiosities housed in an 18th-century surgeon training academy.

Nikola Tesla Statue

Discover Nikola Tesla Statue in Palo Alto, California: This small monument to the great inventor contains a time capsule and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

The Mizpah Hotel

Discover The Mizpah Hotel in Tonopah, Nevada: In the middle of a remote desert town is a surprisingly opulent hotel said to be haunted by the many guests who met their untimely ends there.

WWT London Wetland Centre

Discover WWT London Wetland Centre in London, England: London's marvelous wildfowl reserve along the Thames.

The Pyramid of Santa Cecilia Acatitlán

Discover The Pyramid of Santa Cecilia Acatitlán in Tlalnepantla, Mexico: This partially reconstructed Aztec pyramid gives a glimpse of what its larger counterparts would have looked like.

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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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