Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Hwangsang-dong Buddha Carving

Discover Hwangsang-dong Buddha Carving in Gumi, South Korea: An outstanding Unified Silla Period rock carved Buddha.

The Disney Collection

Discover The Disney Collection in Orlando, Florida: An unassuming corner inside downtown Orlando's library offers a whole new world of the park and its history.

St Anthony Head

Discover St Anthony Head in England: On this headland lies a 19th Century lighthouse and historic gun battery.

Tasmans Arch

Discover Tasmans Arch in Eaglehawk Neck, Australia: A natural rock bridge towers above the sea.

Bergsala’s Super Mario

Discover Bergsala's Super Mario in Kungsbacka, Sweden: A statue of the heroic plumber stands outside a company that bluffed its way into being Nintendo's Scandanavian distributor.

Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine

Discover Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine in Hibbing, Minnesota: Nicknamed the "Grand Cayon of the North," this open-pit mine in Minnesota has a much shorter history.

Green Point

Discover Green Point in Anacortes, Washington: On the edge of this small Washington Park, a piece of the Earth's mantle has come to the surface.

Dr. James Naismith Statue

Discover Dr. James Naismith Statue in Mississippi Mills, Ontario: A tribute to the man who invented basketball stands in his Canadian hometown.

ZinkGlobal

Discover ZinkGlobal in Copenhagen, Denmark: This contemplative sculpture made out of old machine parts is meant to be the first in a series of sculptures around the world.

Pigeon Tower

Discover Pigeon Tower in Ad Dilam, Saudi Arabia: A historic structure that once housed pigeons used by farmers to help fertilize farmland.

‘Time Wave’

Discover ‘Time Wave’ in Providence, Rhode Island: A work of art that pays homage to a Victorian timepiece in Providence.

Oskar Kleins Gastbok

Discover Oskar Kleins Gastbok in Östermalm, Sweden: The signatures of colleagues of the physicists who stopped by to attend lectures.

Guericke-Einhorn (Magdeburg Unicorn)

Discover Guericke-Einhorn (Magdeburg Unicorn) in Magdeburg, Germany: This 17th-century "unicorn" was cobbled together from the skull of a rhinoceros, the legs of a mammoth, and the horn of a narwhal.

Mr Yakkerboo and Blue

Discover Mr Yakkerboo and Blue in Pakenham, Australia: Dedicated to a strange, local cryptid beloved by all.

Walter Taylor Bridge

Discover Walter Taylor Bridge in Indooroopilly, Australia: The pillar of this bridge contains a small home and underneath, a ballroom.

Volcano Historic Boomtown

Discover Volcano Historic Boomtown in Walker, West Virginia: Once home to a thriving oil industry, this town now sits eerily abandoned.

LBJ Presidential Marker

Discover LBJ Presidential Marker in Dallas, Texas: The unique location where the former president was rapidly sworn in.

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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