Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Starship Enterprise NCC-1701

Discover Starship Enterprise NCC-1701 in Washington, D.C.: The actual model from the original "Star Trek" series is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

Mukundpura Baoli

Discover Mukundpura Baoli in Mahendragarh, India: This diminutive yet beautiful local stepwell once yielded enough water to irrigate the lush fields of the village.

Gay Liberation

Discover Gay Liberation in New York, New York: The first piece of public art dedicated to LGBT rights.

Hannibal Hamlin Death Couch

Discover Hannibal Hamlin Death Couch in Bangor, Maine: Abraham Lincoln's vice president took his last breath here on July 4, 1891.

Ryūsendō Cave

Discover Ryūsendō Cave in Iwaizumi, Japan: A massive cave complex boasts some of the clearest water (and most charming bats) in the world.

Iowa’s Museum of Farm Toys

Discover National Farm Toy Museum in Dyersville, Iowa: The farm toy capital of the world hosts a museum filled with toy tractors dating back to the late 1800s.

The Unabomber’s Cabin

Discover The Unabomber's Cabin in Washington, D.C.: It was once the base for a series of domestic terror attacks.

Fort Foote Rodman Guns

Discover Fort Foote Rodman Guns in Fort Washington, Maryland: A mammoth pair of Civil War artillery guns abandoned out in the forest.

Villa Cheminée

Discover Villa Cheminée in Bouée, France: This tiny hotel perched atop a 50-foot tower really puts things into perspective.

108 Heaven Stairway

Discover 108 Heaven Stairway in Seoul, South Korea: A remnant of Korea's colonial past lies forgotten in a hip neighborhood in Seoul.

Ilkley Moor

Discover Ilkley Moor in Ilkley, England: This strange moor has a song written about it, Bronze Age carvings, and an alien sighting.

Bourbon Tunnel

Discover Bourbon Tunnel in Naples, Italy: Dug as a secret royal escape route, the tunnel became a wartime bomb shelter and dumping ground for vintage cars.

Wall of Bottles

Discover Wall of Bottles in Silver City, New Mexico: A head-high wall constructed of thousands of wine and other bottles held together by stucco.

Callejon de Hamel

Discover Callejon de Hamel in Havana, Cuba: A colorful narrow alley in Cuba is full of street art and sculptures made of found objects.

Three Rivers Petroglyph Site

Discover Three Rivers Petroglyph Site in Tularosa, New Mexico: More than 21,000 images fill this overlooked gem of a prehistoric site.

Huánuco Pampa

Discover Huánuco Pampa in Provincia de Dos de Mayo, Peru: This remarkably well-preserved Incan city managed to survive the conquistadores.

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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