Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Avenue of 444 Flags

Discover Avenue of 444 Flags in Hermitage, Pennsylvania: An American flag was erected for every day that passed during the Iranian Hostage Crisis.

Tsunami Stones

Discover Tsunami Stones in Kesennuma, Japan: Stone slabs along the coast warn of Japan's tsunami-ravaged past, often marking the highest point of a wave's reach.

Love Castle

Discover Love Castle in Gyeongju, South Korea: This odd museum/art gallery embraces the physiological, zoological, and ethnographic side of sex.

Plompe Toren

Discover Plompe Toren in Burgh-Haamstede, Netherlands: Its town washed away centuries ago, this lonely tower by the sea tells the tale of a mermaid and a curse.

Wonders of Wildlife Museum

Discover Wonders of Wildlife Museum in Springfield, Missouri: An unexpected but incredible collection of wildlife dioramas spanning rainforests, swamps, forests, and plains.

Gates of Hell

Discover Gates of Hell in Columbus, Ohio: The entrance to this sinisterly named tunnel hides behind a Tim Hortons.

House of Wonders

In Zanzibar, a historic 19th-century palace is a reminder of the world's shortest war.

Redstone Rocket Replica

Discover Redstone Rocket Replica in Concord, New Hampshire: The 92-foot-tall structure is based on the aircraft that carried the first Americans into space.

Fons Sapientiae

Discover Fons Sapientiae in Leuven, Belgium: This whimsical statue dumps water on its head to symbolize knowledge flowing into his brain. Or maybe booze.

William Wallace Memorial

Discover William Wallace Memorial in London, England: A plaque hangs near the execution place of the Scottish Independence leader famously depicted in "Braveheart.".

Ice Castles

Discover Ice Castles in Woodstock, New Hampshire: These towering spires and glowing walls were carefully crafted with hundreds of thousands of icicles.

‘Mike the Headless Chicken’ Sculpture

Discover 'Mike the Headless Chicken' Sculpture in Fruita, Colorado: It would be easy to walk past this unusual piece of art and have no idea it pays tribute to the odd life of a real chicken.

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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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