Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Sometimes Train Tracks of Sunset Beach

Discover Sometimes Train Tracks of Sunset Beach in Cape May, New Jersey: Several times a year, during low tide, two pairs of historic train tracks are revealed on this New Jersey beach.

Bust of the ‘Homeless Mayor’

Discover Bust of the 'Homeless Mayor' in Silver Spring, Maryland: A tribute to the beloved, kind-hearted "homeless mayor" of Silver Spring.

Prince Rupert’s Tower

Discover Prince Rupert's Tower in Merseyside, England: This abandoned lock-up was saved because of its connection to a local football team.

We Are Our Mountains

Discover We Are Our Mountains in Stepanakert, Azerbaijan: This striking icon of the disputed Republic of Artsakh caused a stir at a Eurovision Song Contest.

New York’s Chuang Yen Monastery

Discover New York's Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel Hamlet, New York: The largest Buddha statue in the Western Hemisphere is just 50 miles north of NYC.

Mwela Rock Art Paintings

Discover Mwela Rock Art Paintings in Kasama, Zambia: One of the largest concentrations of rock paintings in Southern Africa.

The Pink Mosque

A spectacular rainbow of stained glass makes this mosque one of the most beautiful in Iran.

Golden Temple

Discover Golden Temple in Amritsar Cantt., India: This peaceful Sikh gurudwara serves around 50,000 free meals every day within its gilded walls.

The Jesters of Arenillas

Discover Bufones de Arenillas in Llanes, Spain: Stormy conditions send jets of seawater bursting through holes in the cliffs.

La Escondida

Discover La Escondida in San Miguel Ameyalco, Mexico: A fairy garden in an old hotel hidden in La Marquesa forest.

The Cleveland Arcade

Discover The Cleveland Arcade in Cleveland, Ohio: Funded by John D. Rockefeller, this is one of the earliest, and most beautiful, shopping arcades in America.

Blocher Memorial

Discover Blocher Memorial in Buffalo, New York: An elaborate memorial to a man local legend says died of a broken heart.

The Oil Patch Warrior

Discover The Oil Patch Warrior in Newark, England: A memorial to American oil drillers who volunteered to travel secretly to England in 1943 and work in the U.K.'s only oil field.

Hulk of the SS Good News

Discover Hulk of the SS Good News in Mpulungu, Zambia: The forgotten remains of the first steamship that launched on Lake Tanganyika.

Söderskär Lighthouse

Discover Söderskär Lighthouse in Porvoo, Finland: A rare octagonal brick beacon on an isolated island in the Baltic.

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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

PP ToS