Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Crackpot Hall

Discover Crackpot Hall in North Yorkshire, England: The dramatic remains of an abandoned farmhouse sit high on the edge of a remote hillside.

The JFK Memorial at Runnymede

Discover The JFK Memorial at Runnymede in England: The patch of land below the memorial was gifted by the British to the United States.

Museum of Japanese Immigration in Brazil

Discover Museum of Japanese Immigration in Brazil in São Paulo, Brazil: Its collection details the experiences of the largest Japanese community outside Japan.

Larry La Trobe Statue

Discover Larry La Trobe Statue in Melbourne, Australia: Melbourne's favorite bronze dog.

Crypt of the São Paulo Cathedral

Discover Crypt of the São Paulo Cathedral in São Paulo, Brazil: The crypts are so large they're basically their own underground church.

Bergdala Glastekniska Museum

Discover Bergdala Glastekniska Museum in Bergdala, Sweden: The machines behind the famous handblown glass from Sweden's "Kingdom of Crystal.".

Graveyard Island

Discover Graveyard Island in Harris, North Carolina: The final resting place of the hundreds of bodies originally buried where Badin Lake sits now.

Moldova’s Little Prince Statue

Discover Moldova's Little Prince Statue in Chisinau, Moldova: At less than four inches in height, this iconic fictional character is the smallest public statue in all of Moldova.

Oconee Station State Historic Site

Discover Oconee Station State Historic Site in Walhalla, South Carolina: A historic blockhouse and trading post give a glimpse into the early colonial history of South Carolina.

Gregory of Nin’s Big Toe

Discover Gregory of Nin’s Big Toe in Split, Croatia: The big toe of this towering monument to a Croatian national hero is worn from years of superstitious rubbing.

Coetan Arthur Dolmen

Discover Coetan Arthur Dolmen in Saint Davids, Wales: A Neolithic tomb hidden among a spectacular boulder-strewn stretch of coast.

Torpedownia

Discover Torpedownia in Gdynia, Poland: A World War II torpedo launch station abandoned off the Polish coast.

Schoolhouse Cinema

Discover Schoolhouse Cinema in Out Skerries, Scotland: A remote island holds what claims to be Scotland's smallest cinema.

Oil Island

Discover Oil Island in Fagersta N, Sweden: Few would expect the world's oldest preserved oil refinery to be found in Sweden.

Isokon Flats

Discover Isokon Flats in London, England: An exercise in radical design and social living that became the epicenter of Soviet spy networks in London.

Witch’s Hat Depot

Discover Witch's Hat Depot in South Lyon, Michigan: This 19th-century former train station’s unusual roof shape earned it a rather witchy name.

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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

PP ToS