Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Boy and Frog Fountain

Discover Boy and Frog Fountain in Kansas City, Missouri: A beloved, quirky little fountain featuring a large frog spitting water at a naked boy.

Fetter Lane Moravian Burial Ground

Discover Fetter Lane Moravian Burial Ground in London, England: Some of the earliest leaders of the Moravian congregation are buried here.

The Hass Avocado Mother Tree

Discover The Hass Avocado Mother Tree in La Habra Heights, California: About 80% of all U.S. avocados are descendants of Rudolph Hass's glorious tree.

Dunedin Museum of Natural Mystery

Discover Dunedin Museum of Natural Mystery in Dunedin, New Zealand: Three rooms of bones, curios, and one artist's collection of natural artifacts create this intriguing museum.

Inside the Capitol Dome

Discover Inside the Capitol Dome in Washington, D.C.: The walls of the iconic dome are hollow and have a secret stairway.

Library of Congress Book Conveyor Tunnel

Discover Library of Congress Book Conveyor Tunnel in Washington, D.C.: A fantastic array of trays and cables once whisked books over to the Capitol at 600 feet per minute.

Pinang Peranakan Mansion

Discover Pinang Peranakan Mansion in George Town, Malaysia: The lavish, well-preserved home of a wealthy Baba Nyonya family is now a cultural museum.

A Whimsical Garden in the Alps

Discover Little Paradise Lodge in Mount Creighton, New Zealand: A lakeside garden in the Southern Alps full of whimsical artwork and thousands of beautiful flowers.

Paddy the Wanderer Fountain

Discover Paddy the Wanderer Fountain in Wellington, New Zealand: A memorial to Wellington's well-loved, well-traveled wharf dog.

British Cemetery of Ocracoke

Discover British Cemetery of Ocracoke in Ocracoke, North Carolina: The North Carolina grounds are leased in perpetuity to the British Commonwealth for as long as the WWII sailors are buried there.

Giant Royal Heads

Discover Giant Royal Heads in Oakley Green, England: Enormous terracotta heads of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip can be seen on the side of the road to Windsor.

National Poo Museum

Discover National Poo Museum in Sandown, England: This British museum hopes to take the taboo out of poo.

Bridge of No Return

Discover Bridge of No Return in Paju, South Korea: The site of many tense prisoner exchanges across the Military Demarcation Line between North and South Korea.

Telegraph Building Belfast Blitz Scars

Discover Telegraph Building Belfast Blitz Scars in Belfast, Northern Ireland: A small plaque highlights the damage caused by German air raids during World War II.

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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

PP ToS