Archives: Atlas Obscuras

St. Catherine’s Greek Orthodox Church

Discover St. Catherine's Greek Orthodox Church in Athens, Greece: A Byzantine church containing the holy remnants of three saints sits atop the site of an ancient temple.

F. Scott Fitzgerald House

Discover F. Scott Fitzgerald House in Saint Paul, Minnesota: The home where a lovestruck Fitzgerald wrote his first published novel, "This Side of Paradise.".

Simcoe Park ‘Worker’s Monument’

Discover Simcoe Park 'Worker's Monument' in Toronto, Ontario: The artwork commemorates the many ways 20th-century people perished while on the clock.

Cape Fear Serpentarium

Discover Cape Fear Serpentarium in Wilmington, North Carolina: An exotic reptile facility showcasing some of the rarest, most venomous snakes in the world.

Gnome Village

Discover Gnome Village in Carson, California: Gnomes have their very own bonsai-landscaped settlement on a university campus.

Phelan Building

Discover Phelan Building in San Francisco, California: The second building of its name to occupy this location might be the finest flatiron building in San Francisco.

Catacombs at Templo Expiatorio

Discover Catacombs at Templo Expiatorio in León, Mexico: A neo-Gothic temple in central Mexico featuring a labyrinthine network of crypts.

Panagia tu Araka

Discover Panagia tu Araka in Lagoudera, Cyprus: Breathtaking Byzantine paintings cover the inside of this 12th-century church.

The Eternal Lovers of Valdaro

Discover Lovers of Valdaro in Mantua, Italy: A young Italian couple has been locked in an embrace for over 6,000 years.

Grave of Kelly Mitchell

Discover Grave of Kelly Mitchell in Meridian, Mississippi: The simple gravesite of a Romany clan leader is dotted with offerings, including cans of her favorite drink, Crush orange soda.

Whale Jaw of Schiermonnikoog

Discover Whale Jaw of Schiermonnikoog in Schiermonnikoog, Netherlands: An awe-inspiring giant blue whale jaw bone stands in the center of this Dutch island.

Newberry Library Postcard Collection

Discover Newberry Library Postcard Collection in Chicago, Illinois: Rifle through images of skyscrapers, Worlds Fairs, and more in the largest public postcard repository in America.

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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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