Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Kanavourgio

Discover Kanavourgio in Edessa, Greece: Once the largest rope factory in Greece, this abandoned plant now stands like a ghost of industry past.

Brick Buildings of Zabid

Discover Brick Buildings of Zabid in Zabid, Yemen: Elaborate patterns adorn the city's disappearing traditional architecture.

The Athens Polytechnic Monument

Discover The Athens Polytechnic Monument in Athens, Greece: A crushed gate and giant bronze head serve as a reminder of Greece's fight for freedom.

The Saracen’s Head Hotel

Discover The Saracen's Head Hotel in Southwell, England: A 13th-century inn where the ill-fated King Charles I spent his last night of freedom.

York Solar System Trail

Discover York Solar System Trail in Bishopthorpe, England: Cycle the solar system—from the sun to Pluto—right here on earth.

St George’s Hall

Discover St George's Hall in Liverpool, England: Charles Dickens described the concert room in this amazing Victorian hall as "the most perfect room in the world.".

Gestapo Interrogation Memorial

Discover Gestapo Interrogation Memorial in Athens, Greece: The site where hundreds of Greeks were tortured by the Nazi secret police is now a cosmetics store.

Capital Without Column

Discover Capital Without Column in Padua, Italy: Something's missing between the arcades of the Palazzo della Ragione in "the city of the three withouts.".

Museum of the Shenandoah Valley

Discover Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Virginia: Extraordinary objects lurk in this quintessential regional museum.

The Ancient Crypt of Chartres Cathedral

Discover Chartres Cathedral Crypt in Chartres, France: The largest crypt ever constructed in France was built in the 11th century on an ancient Druid sacred site.

Oneida Community Mansion House

Discover Oneida Community Mansion House in Oneida, New York: The shared home of a utopian commune that practiced "free love" a century before the hippies.

Smardale Gill Viaduct

Discover Smardale Gill Viaduct in Smardale, England: A spectacular disused railway viaduct in a beautiful countryside nature reserve.

Montecatini Terme Funicular

Discover Montecatini Terme Funicular in Montecatini Terme, Italy: The bright red cars take travelers through breathtaking Tuscan scenery.

Senoia Main Street

Discover Senoia Main Street in Senoia, Georgia: The picturesque southern city served as the zombie-filled town of Woodbury in 'The Walking Dead.'.

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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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