Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Hejaz Railway Train of Wadi Rum

Discover Hejaz Railway Train of Wadi Rum in Shakaria, Jordan: A refurbished locomotive from a bygone era in the middle of the Jordanian desert.

Egg Vending Machine

Discover Egg Vending Machine at Glaum Ranch in Aptos, California: At this California chicken ranch, four bucks will get you 18 eggs and a chorus of dancing animatronic poultry.

Japanese Teddy Bear Museum

Discover Hida Takayama Teddy Bear Eco Village in Takayama, Japan: A collection of more than 1,000 teddies from nearly any profession.

Secret Garden of Bruges

Discover Secret Garden of Bruges in Bruges, Belgium: You would never come across this tiny green oasis if you didn't know it existed.

Bridge of Glass

Discover Bridge of Glass in Tacoma, Washington: A beautiful footbridge with over 2,000 glass sculptures along the walls and ceiling.

Kurt Cobain’s Benches

Discover Kurt Cobain's Benches in Seattle, Washington: A sliver of nostalgia in Seattle's Viretta Park.

Cats of Longwood Gardens

Discover Cats of Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania: These lush botanical gardens employ the most purrfect pest control force.

Old Man of Hoy

Discover Old Man of Hoy in Orkney, Scotland: A red sandstone freestanding monolith rises out of the sea in northern Scotland.

Capbreton Blockhouses

Discover Capbreton Blockhouses in Capbreton, France: Abandoned blockhouses from Nazi Germany's Atlantic Wall erode into the sea on a French beach.

Fortune’s Smokehouse

Discover Fortune's Smokehouse in Whitby, England: This tiny traditional smokehouse is the only one left in this historic fishing port.

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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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