Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Lahti Ski Jump Tower

Discover Lahti Ski Jump Tower in Lahti, Finland: Every summer, an open-air swimming pool appears at the base of a Finnish city's beloved winter attraction.

Lazarim Carnival Celebrations

Discover Lazarim Carnival Celebrations in Lazarim, Portugal: One of the few places in Portugal where the Celtic ritual of wearing large wooden masks is still practiced.

Dress Worn by U.S. President Franklin Pierce

Discover Dress Worn by U.S. President Franklin Pierce in Concord, New Hampshire: The dress young Pierce wore prior to his breeching ceremony in the early 1800s is now on display for all to see.

Inokashira Park Benzaiten Shrine

Discover Inokashira Park Benzaiten Shrine in Tokyo, Japan: Legend says the goddess this shrine honors curses any couples that pass by.

The Church of Our Lady of Kazan

Discover The Church of Our Lady of Kazan in Yaropolets, Russia: An unusual abandoned church damaged in World War II sits in a small village outside Moscow.

Peden’s Cave

Discover Peden's Cave in Failford, Scotland: A historic cave in Scotland once served as a hiding place for a famous Covenanter.

San Francisco’s Hidden Slides

Discover Winfield Street Slides in San Francisco, California: A pair of slides and a tree-lined stair corridor have been an urban oasis for nearly 40 years.

Roman Fish-Salting Factory

Discover Roman Fish-Salting Factory in Puerto de Mazarrón, Spain: Remnants of the rich history of fish salting in this ancient Mediterranean port town.

Coyote’s Flying Saucer Repair

Discover Coyote's Flying Saucer Retrievals and Repairs in Ocotillo, California: A UFO scrapyard in the California desert.

High Trestle Trail Bridge

Discover High Trestle Trail Bridge in Madrid, Iowa: A half-mile long and three stories high, this bridge over the Des Moines River Valley mimics a descent into a mine shaft.

Botica Salcobrand

Discover Botica Salcobrand in Valparaiso, Chile: Buying your medicine at this particular pharmacy is like taking a trip back in time.

Tippu Tip’s House

Discover Tippu Tip's House in Zanzibar, Tanzania: This slowly crumbling mansion was home to one of East Africa's richest and most powerful slave traders.

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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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