Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Fort of Ratonneau

Discover Fort of Ratonneau in Marseille, France: A crumbling island fortress that seems to be covered in a field of stone crosses but is simply incomplete.

Fontaine de Vaucluse

Discover Fontaine de Vaucluse in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, France: Even France's favorite aquatic son Jacques Cousteau, couldn't get to the bottom of it.

Underground Sound Sculptures

Discover Underground Sound Sculptures in Loches, France: Artist and musician Will Menter creates musical sculptures.

Argentière Glacier

Discover Argentière Glacier in Chamonix, France: Trek up this glacier before it disappears.

Notre Dame du Raincy

Discover Notre Dame du Raincy in Le Raincy, France: 1920's reinforced concrete church by architect Auguste Perret changes the face of modern design.

Roc-aux-Sorciers Ancient Artwork

Discover Roc-aux-Sorciers Ancient Artwork in Angles-sur-l'Anglin, France: Exquisite examples prehistoric bas-relief carvings.

Nantes’ Natural History Museum

Discover Nantes' Natural History Museum in Nantes, France: Home to the "Rat King" of Nantes and other wonders of the natural world.

Unite d’Habitation and the Radiant City

Discover Unite d'Habitation and the Radiant City in Marseille, France: What if all public housing projects had been designed by "the Pygmalion of modern architecture," not only their prototype?

Musée d’Anatomie de Montpellier

Discover Musée d’Anatomie de Montpellier in Montpellier, France: This French anatomy museum greets guests with a skinless man, mid-shovel.

Bordeaux Statue of Liberty

Discover Bordeaux Statue of Liberty in Bordeaux, France: Lady Liberty's original designer installed a little clone in this French fountain.

Le Village des Automates

Discover Le Village des Automates in Saint-Cannat, France: An often-shuddersome journey into a low-tech, robotic themepark.

Le Téléscaphe

Discover Le Téléscaphe in Marseille, France: For a brief time in 1960s France, families could climb into a tiny submarine and be pulled along an underwater journey.

Mantin House

Discover Mantin House in Moulins, France: French Time Capsule-19th Century home revealed to the public.

Tuc d’Audoubert

Discover Tuc d'Audoubert in Montesquieu-Avantès, France: 15,000 year old bison sculptures.

Cairn de Gavrinis

Discover Cairn de Gavrinis in Larmor-Baden, France: One of the great treasures of Neolithic art lies within this carefully constructed pile of rocks.

Rove Tunnel

Discover Rove Tunnel in Marseille, France: Longest canal tunnel in the world, abandoned in the 1960s.

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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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