Archives: Atlas Obscuras

The Ruins of Central Aguirre

Discover The Ruins of Central Aguirre in Central Aguirre, Puerto Rico: This nearly abandoned "company town" is a ghost of Puerto Rico's once-lucrative sugar industry.

The Mummy Ankhefenmut

Discover The Mummy Ankhefenmut in Albany, New York: A CT scan revealed the identity of this 3,000-year-old mummy that everyone erroneously thought was female.

The Mummies of Venzone

Discover The Mummies of Venzone in Venzone, Italy: Meet the oldest inhabitants of this Italian hamlet, a series of oddly preserved mummies.

Sidi M’Cid Bridge

Discover Sidi M'Cid Bridge in Constantine, Algeria: This dizzying span over the ancient Algerian city was once the highest suspension bridge in the world.

Silver Dome Ballroom

Discover Silver Dome Ballroom in Neillsville, Wisconsin: Built in 1933, this unique ballroom is nicknamed the "floating dance floor.".

Amphitheatre of Capua

Discover Amphitheatre of Capua in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Italy: This Roman amphitheatre was also the location of the first gladiator school.

Sylvette

Discover Sylvette in Rotterdam, Netherlands: A nearly 25-foot concrete sculpture of Sylvette, Picasso's muse.

Biddison Family Cemetery

Discover Biddison Family Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland: A small 19th-century graveyard tucked away in the middle of a suburban neighborhood.

Royal Library of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

Discover Royal Library of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain: This influential Renaissance-era library was once the haunt of kings and monks.

Haunted Vista

Discover Haunted Vista in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania: A rock maze opens up to a panoramic viewpoint at an abandoned mine full of ghost stories.

Hardknott Roman Fort

Discover Hardknott Roman Fort in Cumbria, England: One of the highest Roman forts in Britain is set amid dramatic scenery on a notoriously difficult road.

1/4 Milestone of Stockholm

Discover 1/4 Milestone of Stockholm in Stockholm, Sweden: This stone obelisk is a relic of the 17th-century Swedish mile markers.

Bailbrook Mission Tin Church

Discover Bailbrook Mission Tin Church in Bath and North East Somerset, England: This overgrown Victorian chapel made of corrugated metal looks utterly out of place.

Rock Garden Duqm

Discover Rock Garden Duqm in Duqm, Oman: A section of the desert with an array of unusual sandstone and limestone formations.

The Dowling House

Discover The Dowling House in Galena, Illinois: The oldest house in Galena, Illinois, now is a reminder of when this city was the world's lead mining capital.

Wadi Dawkah Frankincense Trees

Discover Wadi Dawkah Frankincense Trees in Oman: These gnarly desert trees produce the prized aromatic resin traded along the ancient incense trail.

‘Lulatsch’

Discover 'Lulatsch' in Chemnitz, Germany: This giant glowing "beanpole" adds much-needed pops of color to an otherwise drab power plant.

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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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