Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Grave of Ida Lewis

Discover Grave of Ida Lewis in Newport, Rhode Island: The final resting place of the famous Rhode Island lighthouse keeper who heroically saved dozens of people from drowning.

Widecombe Fair Horse

Discover Widecombe Fair Horse in Widecombe in the Moor, England: This painted wooden sculpture depicts the characters of a popular Devon folk song.

Poker Creek

Discover Poker Creek in Eagle, Alaska: The northernmost international land border crossing in the United States.

Kumamoto Castle

Discover Kumamoto Castle in Kumamoto, Japan: The iconic castle that withstood a magnitude 6.2 earthquake has become a symbol of resilience.

Tomb of Hafez

Discover Tomb of Hafez in Shiraz, Iran: A dreamy mausoleum honors Persia's most famous poet.

Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum

Discover Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum in Wytheville, Virginia: The birthplace of Appalachia's only first lady, who some have dubbed the United States' "first female president.".

Dinosaur Footprints of Holyoke

Discover Dinosaur Footprints of Holyoke in Holyoke, Massachusetts: A careful eye can find hundreds of dinosaur tracks running along the Connecticut River.

Gravity Hill

Discover Gravity Hill in Prosser, Washington: The strange phenomenon causing gravity to "work backwards" on this hill has been blamed on the paranormal.

Goonhilly Earth Station

Discover Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall, England: Arthur, Merlin, and Guinevere are among the largest and oldest satellite dishes on the planet.

Wreck of the Steam Trawler Sheraton

Discover Wreck of the Steam Trawler Sheraton in Hunstanton, England: All that remains of the fishing-vessel-turned-warship is its weathered hull.

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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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