Archives: Atlas Obscuras

The Devil’s Blast

Discover The Devil's Blast in Lota, Chile: The hellish conditions of this abandoned mine that snakes beneath the Pacific Ocean gave it its diabolic name.

Preston’s Pride

Discover Preston’s Pride in Tulare, California: A B-17 bomber stands as a memorial to the residents of Tulare County who served in World War II.

Animals in War Memorial

Discover Animals in War Memorial in London, England: A unique tribute to the millions of animals who served and died for the British military.

The Merry Maidens

Discover The Merry Maidens in Cornwall, England: Perhaps the only prehistoric monument with its very own public bus stop.

Toothbrush Fence

Discover Toothbrush Fence in Te Pahu, New Zealand: Hundreds of toothbrushes hang from a wire fence along a quiet New Zealand road.

Yan’an News Memorial Hall

Discover Yan'an News Memorial Hall in Yanan Shi, China: A quiet ode to Communist China's propaganda machine, including a newspaper edited by Mao Zedong's own hand.

Witch Windows

Discover Witch Windows in Craftsbury, Vermont: According to folklore, Vermont's slanted windows were installed to keep witches from flying into the house.

Preston Bus Station

Discover Preston Bus Station in Preston, England: Locals spent years successfully fighting to save this beloved Brutalist behemoth from demolition.

How the Candy Bomber Got Its Name

Discover Luftbrückendenkmal: Monument to the Berlin Airlift in Frankfurt, Germany: The sweet story of how American cargo planes became known as "Candy Bombers" during the Berlin Blockade.

The Ethnobotanical Garden of Oaxaca

Discover Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca (Ethnobotanical Garden of Oaxaca) in Oaxaca, Mexico: A 16th-century monastery boasts a lush array of plants native to Mexico’s most biodiverse region.

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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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