Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Old Japanese Jail

Discover Old Japanese Jail in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands: This jail once controlled by the Japanese military now sits abandoned on a remote Pacific island.

Alcoy and Maigmó Greenways

Discover Alcoy and Maigmó Greenways in Alcoi, Spain: A dictator's failed public works project is reborn as two linked trails through spectacular scenery.

The World of Puppets Museum

Discover The World of Puppets Museum in Salzburg, Austria: A small marionette collection located within the dark cellars of an 11th-century Austrian castle.

Dandy Lion

Discover Dandy Lion in Elgin, Scotland: A baffling beast so absurd a town councilman called it "intellectual vomit in technicolor.".

Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!

Discover Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! in Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, Québec: The only town in the world with two exclamation points in its name.

Castroville Hearse

Discover Castroville Hearse in San Antonio, Texas: An antique horse-drawn hearse provided French luxury for the dead in this Texan town.

Stone Crosses of Turov

Discover Stone Crosses of Turov in Žytkavicki rajon, Belarus: The centuries-old crosses "growing" in the cemetery are steeped in local lore and are believed to have healing powers.

Breckenridge Snow Sculptures

Discover Breckenridge Snow Sculptures in Breckenridge, Colorado: Each year, teams of the world's best snow sculptors have 65 hours to create their frozen masterpieces.

Louis XIV’s Globes

Discover Louis XIV's Globes in Paris, France: Two awe-inspiring globes from the reign of the Sun King hang from the ceiling of France's national library.

Blind Boone House

Discover Blind Boone House in Columbia, Missouri: The modest, restored home of the legendary ragtime musician John William "Blind" Boone.

Menu

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