Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Samuelson’s Rocks

Discover Samuelson's Rocks in Twentynine Palms, California: The only thing stranger than stumbling onto these philosophical musings is the story of the homesteader who created them.

Cascades Raptor Center

Discover Cascades Raptor Center in Eugene, Oregon: This nature center has one of the largest collections of native raptors in the Pacific Northwest.

Summit Camp

Discover Summit Camp in Greenland: This remote research station sits amid the second-largest ice sheet on the planet.

St. Nicholas Fortress

Discover St. Nicholas Fortress in Šibenik, Croatia: Large, airy hallways hide within an impenetrable fortress that beckons urban explorers.

Saint Cooey’s Well

Discover Saint Cooey's Well in Ards, Northern Ireland: Legend says the water within these mysterious sacred springs stays cold even when boiled.

NASA Full Scale Wind Tunnel Propeller

Discover NASA Full Scale Wind Tunnel Propeller in Washington, D.C.: While most wind tunnels test scale models, the "Cave of Winds" was large enough for actual airplanes.

Slingshot Museum

Discover Slingshot Museum in Albenga, Italy: A slingshot from this delightful collection is awarded each year to someone who has "pulled metaphorical slings in favor of the weak and marginalized.".

Tumlehed Rock Paintings

Discover Tumlehed Rock Paintings in Torslanda, Sweden: Sweden's southernmost prehistoric rock art is hidden just outside Gothenburg.

Randall Knife Museum

Discover Randall Knife Museum in Orlando, Florida: Home to a giant switchblade and one of the world's largest collections of pocket knives, this museum is a cut above the rest.

The Bubblecar Museum

Discover The Bubblecar Museum in Langrick, England: A working farm turned into a museum dedicated to the world's most unbelievably tiny cars.

Algae Growing Ponds

Discover Algae Growing Ponds in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii: Football field-sized microalgae production tanks on the Hawaiian coast create a stunning view from space.

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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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