Archives: Atlas Obscuras

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.

Fontainhas

Discover Fontainhas in Panaji, India: This colorful colonial neighborhood in Panjim is one of the only Latin Quarters in Asia.

Moonbeam UFO Monument

Discover Moonbeam UFO Monument in Moonbeam, Ontario: A flying saucer has landed for good in the middle of a tiny Canadian town.

Plymouth Pillars Park

Discover Plymouth Pillars Park in Seattle, Washington: The four tall pillars once marked the entrance of the historic Seattle church that fought for women's suffrage and civil rights.

Museo Faggiano

Toilet troubles led one man to dig up over 2,000 years worth of history in his home.

St. Omer Cemetery Witch Grave

Discover St. Omer Cemetery Witch Grave in Ashmore, Illinois: This grave in a ghost town cemetery marks the death of a witch on a day that never happened.

Door Knockers of Cartagena

Discover Door Knockers of Cartagena in Cartagena, Colombia: The colonial city's social history is reflected in its fanciful door knockers.

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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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