Archives: Atlas Obscuras

England’s Smallest Window

Discover England's Smallest Window in Hull, England: What looks like missing grout is actually an old pub's peephole.

Battle of Abu Klea Memorial

Discover Battle of Abu Klea Memorial in Al Matammah, Sudan: A remote monument to one of the fiercest battles fought by the Victorian British Army.

The Executioner’s House in Malta

Discover The Executioner's House in Il-Birgu, Malta: The medieval home is still engraved with the symbol of the profession, an eye flanked by two axes.

Turnagain Arm Bore Tide

Discover Turnagain Arm Bore Tide in Anchorage, Alaska: During the summer, Alaskan surfers take advantage of this inlet’s unusual water patterns.

The Pirates’ House

Discover The Pirates' House in Savannah, Georgia: This kitschy tavern is also home to rare early editions of "Treasure Island.".

Bruno the Bear

Discover Bruno the Bear in Munich, Germany: The taxidermy remains of the first brown bear to enter Germany in 170 years.

Friend Ghost Town

Discover Friend Ghost Town in Dufur, Oregon: The short-lived railroad town in central Oregon has been abandoned since the 1930s.

Gwalia Ghost Town

Discover Gwalia Ghost Town in Leonora, Australia: This once-booming gold mining hub was basically abandoned overnight.

Site of the Woolworth Lunch Counter Sit-in

Discover Site of the Woolworth Lunch Counter Sit-in in Greensboro, North Carolina: This North Carolina store preserves a historic moment in America's movement for racial equality.

London’s KGB Lamp Post

Discover Audley Square Spy Lamp Post in London, England: This overlooked street light once served as a KGB dead letter box.

Brattle Book Shop

Discover Brattle Book Shop in Boston, Massachusetts: One of the oldest used bookstores in the U.S. has been selling antiquarian treasures since 1825.

Santos Museum of Economic Botany

Discover Santos Museum of Economic Botany in Adelaide, Australia: A wealth of plants and horticultural curiosities fill this charmingly antique museum.

Museum of the Communist Consumer

Discover Museum of the Communist Consumer in Timișoara, Romania: A collection of items from a way of life that no longer exists.

Creede Underground Firehouse

Discover Creede Underground Firehouse in Creede, Colorado: The only firehouse built entirely into the side of a mountain.

The Red Fiat

Discover The Red Fićo in Osijek, Croatia: A tribute to an iconic act of defiance from the Croatian War of Independence involving a small car.

Caludon Castle Ruins

Discover Caludon Castle Ruins in Coventry, England: This ruin in a suburban park may be the place where Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was first performed.

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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