Archives: Atlas Obscuras

International Clown Hall of Fame

Discover International Clown Hall of Fame in Baraboo, Wisconsin: This circus town museum recognizes the outstanding clowns of history.

Pooh’s House

Discover Pooh's House in Cambridge, Massachusetts: This tiny, painted door at the base of a tree stump has been a fixture of the Harvard University campus for decades.

Lake Lappajärvi

Discover Lake Lappajärvi in Lappajärvi, Finland: Nuclear waste experts study this prehistoric crater lake to envision landscapes one million years in the future.

Kayman’s Gate Bell Tower

Discover Kayman’s Gate Bell Tower in Colombo, Sri Lanka: A neglected bell tower in modern Colombo is a symbol of the city's colonial past.

The Cross at Ground Zero

Discover The Cross at Ground Zero in New York, New York: Pulled from the rubble of one of the worst modern tragedies, a steel crossbeam became a symbol of hope for New Yorkers.

Hunter House

Discover Hunter House in Newport, Rhode Island: The first newspaper printed by an expeditionary force was published in this colonial mansion.

Shepherd Wheel

Discover Shepherd Wheel in Sheffield, England: In England, an 18th-century water-powered workshop still stands.

Sé Station Mural

Discover Sé Station Mural in São Paulo, Brazil: An enigmatic mural hiding in plain sight in one of São Paulo's busiest metro stations.

Edvard Munch’s Grave

Discover Edvard Munch's Grave in Oslo, Norway: The painter of "The Scream" is laid to rest under a stoic bust of himself in the humble corner of an Oslo cemetery.

Tinoco Tunnel

Discover Tinoco Tunnel in San José de Maipo, Chile: Locals visit this abandoned train tunnel where a man took his own life to ask favors of his spirit.

Seattle’s Giant Sequoia Tree

Discover Seattle's Giant Sequoia Tree in Seattle, Washington: This grand old 80-foot sequoia towers above the buildings in the city’s retail center.

Pettah Floating Market

Discover Pettah Floating Market in Colombo, Sri Lanka: Pettah's beautiful floating market was once a stinky canal in a sketchy industrial area.

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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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