Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Hidden Royal Waiting Hall

Discover Royal Waiting Hall in Stockholm, Sweden: Although rarely used, there is still a hidden room for the royal family at the Stockholm central station.

Fiat Tagliero Service Station

Discover Fiat Tagliero Service Station in Asmara, Eritrea: Eritrea's futuristic gas station is a nod to Italy's fascist history.

Reliquaries of St Mark’s Basilica Treasury

Discover Reliquaries of St Mark's Basilica Treasury in Venice, Italy: An extensive collection of reliquaries containing the bones of saints housed in the largest Catholic church in Venice.

The RMS Olympic Dining Room

Discover The RMS Olympic Dining Room in Alnwick, England: This restaurant was removed from the famed sister ship of the Titanic and placed within a hotel.

Vienna Sewer System

Discover Vienna Sewer System in Vienna, Austria: Vienna's underworld of tunnels and subterranean rivers made an iconic appearance in a 1949 Orson Welles film.

The Deer Moat Pedestrian Tunnel

Discover The Deer Moat Pedestrian Tunnel in Prague, Czechia: The tunnel's elegant proportions keep you snug with no claustrophobia freak-out.

Commemorative Monument of the Battle of the Ebro

Discover Commemorative Monument of the Battle of the Ebro in Tortosa, Spain: This memorial, built by fascist dictator General Franco in 1960, has been repurposed by the people of Catalonia.

World’s Oldest Edible Ham

Discover World’s Oldest Edible Ham in Smithfield, Virginia: The nearly 120-year-old piece of pork wears a brass collar and was once a man's "pet ham.".

De Waag

Discover De Waag in Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam's former hotspot for public executions and dissections.

Birr Castle Box Hedge

Discover Birr Castle Box Hedge in Offaly, Ireland: The world's tallest box hedge is found in a delightful garden.

The First Pirate Bay Server

Discover The First Pirate Bay Server in Linköping, Sweden: From under the bed of one of the co-founders, this server helped launch the notorious file-sharing website.

Chizhik Pyzhik

Discover Chizhik Pyzhik in Saint Petersburg, Russia: Perhaps the tiniest sculpture in Saint Petersburg is a little bronze finch inspired by a song.

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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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