Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Royal Greenhouses of Laeken

Discover Royal Greenhouses of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium: Lavish royal estate punctuated with heated greenhouses.

The Blue Forest

Discover The Blue Forest in Halle, Belgium: Each spring, a dreamlike carpet of bluebells overtakes the forest floor.

T. H. White’s Grave

Discover T. H. White’s Grave in Athens, Greece: The burial place of one the greatest Arthurian authors, with the sword in the (grave)stone.

Aiolou Street Excavation Site

Discover Aiolou Street Excavation Site in Athens, Greece: An ancient site that has revealed incredible artifacts including portions of the Themistoclean Wall.

Daphni Monastery

Discover Daphni Monastery in Athens, Greece: This lesser-visited World Heritage site in Athens boasts an impressive ensemble of medieval gold mosaics.

Holy Church of Saint Andrew

Discover Holy Church of Saint Andrew in Athens, Greece: A martyred saint built a nunnery and school for girls here known as the "Parthenon.".

Vrykolakonisia (Vampire Islands)

Discover Vrykolakonisia (Vampire Islands) in Skyros, Greece: The alleged vampires after which these islets are named may have actually been plague victims.

Chania Lighthouse

Discover Chania Lighthouse in Chania, Greece: This stone tower was built to protect Crete from incoming pirates.

Museum of Cycladic Folklore

Discover Museum of Cycladic Folklore in Aliki, Greece: This old museum contains dozens of detailed miniature ships and buildings.

Church of St. Spyridon

Discover Church of St. Spyridon in Corfu, Greece: This Greek Orthodox church houses the mummified body of St. Spyridon.

Pyramid on Mount Taygetos

Discover Pyramid on Mount Taygetos in Laconia, Greece: The top of the holy mountain for the ancient Spartans looks like a pyramid—is it man-made or a natural phenomenon?

Weiler Building

Discover Weiler Building in Athens, Greece: A former military hospital is now used to study and preserve artifacts of the Acropolis.

Nymfopetra

Discover Nymfopetra in Thessaloniki, Greece: Legends hold that these unusual rock formations were once a bridal party, or perhaps a group of hunters.

Church of Agia Pareskevi

Discover Church of Agia Pareskevi in Athens, Greece: This Ottoman-era Greek Orthodox Church was built to honor Agia Pareskevi, a Christian saint.

Abandoned Tropo Station of Lefkada

Discover Abandoned Tropo Station of Lefkada in Lefkada, Greece: The remains of a military communications outpost still stand on this Greek island.

Ziller-Loverdos Mansion

Discover Ziller-Loverdos Mansion in Athens, Greece: One of the best collections of Byzantine art housed in a magnificent, 19th-century neoclassical home.

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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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