Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Rivers Cosmogram

Discover Rivers Cosmogram in New York, New York: A memorial marks the library lobby where Langston Hughes' ashes are buried.

Glitchy’s Oddities Museum

Discover Glitchy's Oddities Museum in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: This small collection in the back of a shop is the only oddities museum in Saskatoon.

Lend-Lease Monument

Discover Lend-Lease Monument in Fairbanks, Alaska: This super-sized statue is the only public memorial to the deal that ended America's neutrality during World War II.

Mount Hope Cemetery

Discover Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor, Maine: The second-oldest garden cemetery in the U.S. was also a college brainstorm spot of Stephen King.

Uley Long Barrow

Discover Uley Long Barrow in Uley, England: You can crawl inside this atmospheric 5,000-year-old tomb.

Kodiak Queen

Discover Kodiak Queen in British Virgin Islands: Divers can encounter an abandoned warship encircled by a giant kraken submerged in the British Virgin Islands.

House of the Eagles

Discover House of the Eagles in Malinalco, Mexico: The ruins of a former sanctuary for elite Aztec warriors.

Palacete los Moreau

Discover Palacete los Moreau in Puerto Rico: This 20th-century mansion plays a key role in one of Puerto Rico's greatest novels.

Wawel Chakra

Discover Wawel Chakra in Krakow, Poland: This grubby wall is said to be one of the Earth's esoteric energy centers.

Escola do Reino de Haudere Ruins

Discover Escola do Reino de Haudere Ruins in East Timor: A surprisingly large and sturdy ruin on the outskirts of a remote village.

MUSA Anatomy Museum

Discover MUSA Anatomy Museum in Naples, Italy: This Neapolitan exhibition hall grants weird and wonderful insight into the intricacies of human biology.

‘The Knotted Gun’

Discover 'The Knotted Gun' in Malmö, Sweden: This poignant sculpture of a gnarled weapon is a symbol of non-violence.

The London Library

Discover The London Library in London, England: More than a million titles fill the labyrinthine shelves of this prestigious private library.

Big Almaty Lake

Discover Big Almaty Lake in Almaty, Kazakhstan: A brilliant turquoise lake in the mountains.

Tyburn Tree Marker

Discover Tyburn Tree Marker in London, England: Never actually a tree at all, this spot was the site of London's public hangings for nearly 600 years.

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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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