Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Atlanta Rainbow Crosswalks

Discover Atlanta Rainbow Crosswalks in Atlanta, Georgia: A colorful square marks the heart of the city's LGBTQ community.

Cuban-American Friendship Urn

Discover Cuban-American Friendship Urn in Washington, D.C.: The only National Monument ever to go missing for nearly 50 years then resurface in a dump.

The Old Place Restaurant

Discover The Old Place Restaurant in Agoura Hills, California: The beloved dining spot stands at the cross-section of Hollywood and the Old West.

Amazon Spheres

Discover Amazon Spheres in Seattle, Washington: The tech giant built three enormous glass orbs in Seattle so employees could work inside a rainforest greenhouse.

Largest Street Art Mural in the World

Discover Largest Street Art Mural in the World in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Eduardo Kobra’s breathtaking 32,300-square-foot graffiti wall took over Rio’s Olympic Boulevard.

Van Gelder Studio

Discover Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Hundreds of iconic jazz records were made in this church-like space.

Juliertheatre

Discover Juliertheatre in Riom-Parsonz, Switzerland: A tower-like theater in the Swiss Alps built to withstand the high winds and avalanches of the mountain pass.

The Shifting Sand Dunes of the Savanna

Discover Shifting Sand Dunes in Ngorongoro, Tanzania: These strange piles of magnetized volcanic ash travel across the desert about 50 feet per year.

Nepean Island

Discover Nepean Island in Nepean Island, Australia: This tiny uninhabited islet off the coast of Norfolk Island was formed by blowing sand from nearby dunes.

North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District

Discover North Carolina's 12th Congressional District in Mooresville, North Carolina: Formerly the most gerrymandered district in the U.S., it twisted and turned along racial borders.

Polly Woodside

Discover Polly Woodside in South Wharf, Australia: This historic tall ship traveled 1.5 million miles around the globe, and once did duty as the mythical pirate ship in Peter Pan.

Space Invaders

Discover Space Invaders in San Diego, California: The classic Atari game's iconic aliens have invaded downtown San Diego.

Grave of John Wilkes Booth

Discover Grave of John Wilkes Booth in Baltimore, Maryland: A blank headstone topped with a pile of pennies marks the final resting place of the infamous assassin.

Washuzan Highland

Discover Washuzan Highland in Kurashiki-shi, Japan: A dilapidated amusement park with a million-dollar view.

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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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