Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Wrong Store

Discover Wrong Store in Marfa, Texas: This quirky outpost and gallery inside a former church is an unexpected trove of handcrafted art.

A Huge Abandoned Asylum in Georgia

Discover Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia: One of the largest-ever mental hospitals now sits abandoned, surrounded by 25,000 unmarked graves.

Solitude Speedway

Discover Solitude Speedway in Salt Lake City, Utah: An enormous image of Utah's salt flats made entirely from tape.

Cave of Hands

Discover La Cueva de las Manos (Cave of Hands) in Argentina: Stenciled handprints and wall paintings dating back 10,000 years, some of the earliest forms of cave art.

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.

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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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