Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Stonehouse in Reeder’s Alley

Discover Stonehouse in Reeder's Alley in Helena, Montana: One home in the historic strip hides secret compartments and the ghostly songs of long-gone canaries.

The Murals of Quebec City

Discover The Murals of Quebec City in Québec City, Québec: A contemporary fresco movement illustrates the region's rich history.

Feynman Diagram Rock Carving

Discover Feynman Diagram Rock Carving in Turan, Russia: A tribute to Richard Feynman is carved into the land he planned to see but never got to visit.

Al Jumail

Discover Al Jumail in Qatar: A 19th century pearling and fishing village abandoned before Qatar's economic boom.

A Sea of ‘Pink Moss’

Discover Shibazakura Park in Ōzora-chō, Japan: Japan's largest area of "pink moss" turns the hillside bright pink every spring.

Tree Grate Museum

Discover Tree Grate Museum in Seattle, Washington: Five varieties of trees with custom-designed grates around the trunk are planted along the route of the Seattle Transit Tunnel.

Pillsbury A-Mill

Discover Pillsbury A-Mill in Minneapolis, Minnesota: This old residential building was once the largest flour mill in the world.

Rajac Cemetery

Discover Rajac Cemetery in Rajac, Serbia: Beautifully carved tombstones fill this unmarked graveyard, uniquely situated near the village's famous stone wine cellars.

Rose City Rollers

Discover Rose City Rollers in Portland, Oregon: Inside a humble hangar is some of the best roller derby the world has to offer.

Museu do Aleijadinho

Discover Museu do Aleijadinho in Ouro Preto, Brazil: A display of works by one of the world masters sacred art, an 18th-century Brazilian sculptor nicknamed "the little cripple.".

La Jenelle Shipwreck

All that's left of the 12,500-ton luxury ocean liner that capsized just off the beach.

Corregidor Island

Discover Corregidor Island in Cavite City, Philippines: The ruins on a deserted tropical island in the Philippines bear the scars of WWII.

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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

PP ToS