Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Erotic Heritage Museum

Discover Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada: Thousands of artifacts relating to human sexuality, including the world's largest sex bike.

Indian River Citrus Museum

Discover Indian River Citrus Museum in Vero Beach, Florida: This small museum concentrates on the juicy history of orange production in Florida.

Art-o-mat

Discover Art-o-mat in Las Vegas, Nevada: These banned cigarette vending machines now sell little pieces of pocket-sized art.

Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden

Discover Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden in Springfield, Massachusetts: Life-size bronzes of the Grinch, Cat in the Hat, Yertle the Turtle, Sam-I-Am, and the Lorax—and the author himself.

Severn Bore

Discover Severn Bore in Gloucestershire, England: This stretch of the River Severn where large waves flow against the current is the birthplace of river surfing.

Jumonville Glen

Discover Jumonville Glen in Farmington, Pennsylvania: The site of the little-known Pennsylvania battle that sparked the Seven Years' War.

‘Subtile’ Sculpture

Discover 'Subtile' Sculpture in West Sacramento, California: A mesmerizing disco ball-like sculpture along the Sacramento River Walk.

Levoča Cage of Shame

Discover Levoča Cage of Shame in Levoča, Slovakia: Too much gossip or just missing curfew could land you in here for a couple of days.

Beecher Bible and Rifle Church

Discover Beecher Bible and Rifle Church in Wamego, Kansas: This historic church is named for abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher and the ruse to arm his fellow abolitionists.

Abandoned Comet Diner in Hartford

Discover Abandoned Comet Diner in Hartford, Connecticut: An iconic steel and chrome diner from the 1940s left empty for nearly 20 years is in danger of being demolished.

Shrine of Our Lady of Peace

Discover Shrine of Our Lady of Peace in Santa Clara, California: One of the largest Marian shrines on the West Coast stands rather unexpectedly in Silicon Valley.

Kaiser Quarry Ruins

Discover Kaiser Quarry Ruins in Oakland, California: An abandoned car and strange wooden debris are among the scattered remains of the old sand and gravel quarry.

The Nervous System of ‘Harriet Cole’

Discover The Nervous System of 'Harriet Cole' in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: This meticulously extracted nervous system allegedly came from a 19th-century custodian who donated her body to science.

Curves and Zigzags

Discover Curves and Zigzags in Palm Desert, California: A black and white painted wall creates an optical illusion in the California desert.

The Birthplace of the Tank

Discover Lincoln Tank Memorial in Lincoln, England: The world's first military tank was designed in this English city amid the stalemate of WWI trench warfare.

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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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