Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Zittau Narrow-Gauge Railway

Discover Zittau Narrow-Gauge Railway in Zittau, Germany: This historic little railroad runs through some of the most beautiful scenery in Germany.

Narwhals at the Field Museum

Discover Narwhals at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois: To find the "unicorns of the deep" you've got to go downstairs.

Jhaishan Tunnel

Discover Jhaishan Tunnel in Quanzhou Shi, China: The wartime boat shelter now doubles as an underground concert hall where musicians play on rafts along the waterway.

The Troll Forest

Discover Trollskogen (The Troll Forest) in Borgholm, Sweden: Crooked windswept pines give this old forest an enchanted and magical look.

Edwin Carter Museum

Discover Edwin Carter Museum in Breckenridge, Colorado: A museum of natural history, Edwin Carter's original log cabin home and workshop houses taxidermy specimens.

Kildalton Cross

Discover Kildalton Cross in Argyll and Bute, Scotland: This 1,300-year-old marker is one of the finest and most complete early Christian crosses in Scotland.

Grave of Sinbad the Dog

Discover Grave of Sinbad the Dog in Barnegat Light, New Jersey: A granite monument honors a beloved World War II canine mascot.

AR-MO-OK Tri-State Marker

Discover AR-MO-OK Tri-State Marker in Sulphur Springs, Arkansas: Three markers installed over the course of 140 years mark the point where Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma converge.

Woody Guthrie Center

Discover Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma: A museum packed with instruments, lyrics, and other mementos of the American folk icon.

Chuck Berry’s House

Discover Chuck Berry's House in St. Louis, Missouri: The red brick house where the father of rock 'n' roll wrote some of his classic hits.

Coffee Hanyakbang

Discover Coffee Hanyakbang in Seoul, South Korea: About as hidden as can be, this specialty coffee shop is wedged between multi-story buildings at the end of a dark, skinny alleyway in Seoul.

The Giant of Extremadura

Discover The Giant of Extremadura in Madrid, Spain: The lengthy skeleton of one of the tallest Spaniards of all time is on display in Madrid.

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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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