Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Scallop Shell Pulpit

Discover Scallop Shell Pulpit in New Orleans, Louisiana: The oldest operational cathedral in the U.S. has one shell of a way of projecting speakers' voices.

Fireplace of States

Discover Fireplace of States in Bemidji, Minnesota: This ambitious attraction was the brain child of a lake resort impresario, and built by the WPA.

Kururin Ferris Wheel

Discover Kururin Ferris Wheel in Matsuyama-shi, Japan: A giant rooftop ride with unbeatable views of Matsuyama city, the nearby mountain ranges, and the Inland Sea.

Calum’s Road

Discover Calum's Road in Isle of Skye, Scotland: One man spent 10 years building a spectacular section of road because no one else would.

Qatar National Library

Discover Qatar National Library in Doha, Qatar: The enormous diamond-shaped building packs a trove of academic and literary treasures into one futuristic space.

Mr. Trash Wheel

Discover Mr. Trash Wheel in Baltimore, Maryland: This bug-eyed water wheel uses the power of the Sun to clean up Baltimore Harbor.

Abandoned School for Gifted Children

Discover Arkutino School for Gifted Children in Primorsko, Bulgaria: An unfinished complex built for children from around the world sits abandoned on the Black Sea coastline.

The Hemingway Memorial

Discover The Hemingway Memorial in Sun Valley, Idaho: Tucked away on a scenic trail, a modest memorial honors one of the greatest writers of our time.

The Yeti Scalp of Khumjung

Discover The Yeti Scalp of Khumjung in Khumjung, Nepal: A Himalayan monastery claims to have a piece of a centuries-old abominable snowman.

Georgetown’s Tudor Place

Discover Tudor Place in Washington, D.C.: A historic estate packed with George Washington's heirlooms, and its own nuclear bunker.

Greyhound Bus Museum

Discover Greyhound Bus Museum in Hibbing, Minnesota: An abandoned bus station transformed into a museum dedicated to the history of Greyhound Lines, in the place where it all began.

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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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