Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Benigno Montoya Funerary Art

Discover Benigno Montoya Funerary Art in Durango, Mexico: A historic cemetery doubles as a museum containing hundreds of unique tombs sculpted by a single artist.

The Beach Boys Childhood Home

Discover The Beach Boys Childhood Home in Hawthorne, California: The Southern California pop sounds of surf and sand were born right here.

The Chopin Centre in Szafarnia

Discover The Chopin Centre in Szafarnia in Szafarnia, Poland: The manor house where the Polish composer spent childhood summer holidays is now a museum and concert hall.

Poland’s Iconic ‘Saucer’

Discover Spodek in Katowice, Poland: While the U.S. and Soviet Union were engaged in a space race, Poland built a UFO on the ground.

Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory

Discover Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory in Minneapolis, Minnesota: One of the world's premier laboratories for hydraulic engineering research takes full advantage of the water's power.

Torre Sant’Andrea

Discover Torre Sant'Andrea in Melendugno, Italy: Dramatic sea stacks adorn the coast of this small village on the Adriatic coast.

Kulturtårnet

Discover Kulturtårnet in Copenhagen, Denmark: A little-known cafe in an old copper bridge tower with 360-degree views of the harbor.

Bellefontaine Cemetery

Discover Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri: The first rural cemetery west of the Mississippi is home to the elaborate tombs of St. Louis' local beer barons.

Asia’s Largest Cross

Discover Asia's Largest Cross in Karachi, Pakistan: The bulletproof cross stands at the only operational Christian cemetery in Pakistan's most populated city.

Le Clitoris

Discover Le Clitoris in Poitiers, France: This anatomical sculpture raises awareness about violence against women and promotes gender equality.

Earthoid Water Tank

Discover Earthoid Water Tank in Germantown, Maryland: The whole world in one water tank.

Medieval Fireplaces of Tattershall Castle

Discover Fireplaces of Tattershall Castle in Tattershall, England: The near loss of the stately fireplaces at this medieval castle spawned some of Britain's most crucial historic preservation laws.

Museum of Peasant Life in Russia

Discover Museum of Wooden Architecture and Peasant Life in Suzdal', Russia: 300-year-old villagers houses and traditional churches preserve a nearly lost piece of Russian history.

The Church Studio

Discover The Church Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma: Songwriter Leon Russell transformed this church into a recording studio used by many legendary musicians.

The Black Church

A fire once nearly devoured this gorgeous 14th-century Gothic cathedral.

Portland Troll Bridge

Discover Portland Troll Bridge in Portland, Oregon: Not-so-fearsome tiny trolls live under this wooden train trestle in Portland.

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