Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store

Discover Minnesota's Largest Candy Store in Jordan, Minnesota: This bright yellow building is packed with sweet treats from all around the world, from chocolate-covered crickets to whoopie pies.

Treasure of Villena

Discover Treasure of Villena in Villena, Spain: A significant cache of prehistoric valuables is on display in an unassuming museum tucked inside a town hall.

Chamber of Art and Curiosities

Discover Chamber of Art and Curiosities in Innsbruck, Austria: Archduke Ferdinand II's collection of rare objects is considered one of the oldest museums in the world.

Hythe Pier Railway

Discover Hythe Pier Railway in Southampton, England: The world's oldest operational public pier railway has shuttled seagoing commuters from ship to shore since 1909.

Larco Museum’s Erotic Art

Discover Larco Museum's Erotic Art in Cercado de Lima, Peru: The large collection of pre-Columbian pottery might make you blush.

Morris Arboretum

Discover Morris Arboretum in Flourtown, Pennsylvania: This hidden gem of a garden has one of the only surviving Victorian ferneries in America.

Craggy Gardens Rhododendron Tunnels

Discover Craggy Gardens Rhododendron Tunnels in Black Mountain, North Carolina: Gnarled canopies of pink and purple wildflowers arch over the trail to the summit.

Saint Catherine Russian Orthodox Church

Discover Saint Catherine Russian Orthodox Church in Rome, Italy: The first Russian Orthodox church in the Catholic city of Rome in almost a thousand years.

The Last Remnant of the New York Produce Exchange

Discover New York Produce Exchange Property Marker in New York, New York: A well-worn marker in a forgotten alleyway is all that remains of what had been one of Manhattan's most beautiful buildings.

The Gouwe Aqueduct Yacht

Discover Gouwe Aquaduct in Waddinxveen, Netherlands: Yup, that's a 330-foot yacht passing over the highway.

A Fake Building In Paris

Discover 145 Rue Lafayette in Paris, France: What looks like a normal building is really a hollow facade hiding a subway vent.

Folk Art Center

Discover Folk Art Center in Asheville, North Carolina: A wonderful display of arts and crafts handmade by local artisans in the Southern Appalachians.

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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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