Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Shambles of York

Discover Shambles of York in York, England: Follow the original medieval paths that wind through this intriguing section of the city.

Peacock Room

Discover Peacock Room in Washington, D.C.: This stunning blue and gold room changed cities twice before becoming part of the Smithsonian.

Chaiselongue

Discover Chaiselongue in Zurich, Switzerland: This colossal couch is an unlikely monument to Europe's first female Doctor of Law.

Fairfield Hills Hospital

Discover Fairfield Hills Hospital in Newtown, Connecticut: This abandoned psychiatric hospital once housed more than 4,000 patients in the middle of a quaint New England town.

Expo ’92 Grounds

Discover Expo '92 Grounds in Seville, Spain: An eerie collection of the surviving structures from a past celebration of the future.

Georgia’s Otherworldly Beach

Discover Driftwood Beach in Jekyll Island, Georgia: Constant erosion has created a surreal landscape of bleached and preserved fallen trees.

National Cookie Cutter Historical Museum

Discover National Cookie Cutter Historical Museum in Joplin, Missouri: A small museum dedicated to the whimsical tool that turns sugar cookies into works of art.

Piece Hall

Discover Piece Hall in Halifax, England: This Georgian architectural masterpiece is the only cloth hall left in Britain.

Gay City Ghost Town

Discover Gay City State Park in Hebron, Connecticut: The ruins of an abandoned 18th-century town that is slowly being reclaimed by the forest.

Francisco Pizarro Statue

Discover Francisco Pizarro Statue in Cercado de Lima, Peru: A monument to the conquistador became increasingly controversial in the very city that he founded.

Barryland

Discover Barryland in Martigny, Switzerland: Enormous, fluffy dogs frolic around this museum dedicated to a legendary Saint Bernard.

The Love Signs of Twentynine Palms

Discover The Love Signs of Twentynine Palms in Twentynine Palms, California: In California, colorful roadside signs remind us all that love transcends borders.

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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