Archives: Atlas Obscuras

The Charles de Gaulle Saxophone Bridge

Discover The Charles de Gaulle Saxophone Bridge in Dinant, Belgium: A whimsical bridge uses saxophones to pay tribute to two great men and the European Union.

Hadrian’s Reservoir

Discover Hadrian's Reservoir in Athens, Greece: This ancient hydrological marvel is now the base of a modern outdoor cinema.

Know Any Brintons in Pennsylvania?

Discover Brinton 1704 House in West Chester, Pennsylvania: Descendants of this colonial Pennsylvania family still travel from far and wide to visit the 300-year-old home of their Quaker ancestors.

Osborne Bull

Discover Osborne Bull in Guadalajara, Spain: Originally used to sell brandy, the bull-shaped billboard became an iconic symbol of Spain.

Berggasthaus Aescher Wildkirchli

Discover Berggasthaus Aescher Wildkirchli in Wasserauen, Switzerland: This 170-year-old Swiss guesthouse built into the side of a mountain is best accessed by a cable car.

‘The Indian and the Anteater’ Sculpture

Discover 'The Indian and the Anteater' Sculpture in São Paulo, Brazil: This mesmerizing statue of a child wrestling an anteater symbolizes the native culture and biodiversity of São Paulo.

Architectural DNA

Discover Architectural DNA in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: An old spiral fire escape dangles above a public courtyard in Midtown Oklahoma City.

FDR Smokestack Memorial

Discover FDR Smokestack Memorial in Cambridge, Maryland: The elevator hidden in a smokestack on Roosevelt's yacht now serves as a monument to the former president.

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.

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i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 261 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. 480 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. 514 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. 642 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. 137 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. 172 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). 256 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 151 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. 98 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. 168

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