Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Botanical Gardens of Bath

Discover Botanical Gardens of Bath in Bath, England: With lush plants and flowers, huge trees, ponds, and hidden monuments, this place feels a bit like discovering Narnia.

Leuk Charnel House

Discover Leuk Charnel House in Leuk, Switzerland: For centuries no one knew there were hundreds of bones and precious artwork hidden beneath this Swiss church.

Spinnaker Tower

Discover Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, England: This striking observation tower shaped like a spinnaker sail is the newest icon in historic Portsmouth.

USS Balao Conning Tower

Discover USS Balao Conning Tower in Washington, D.C.: Part of a WWII submarine is lurking outside the Washington Navy Yard parking lot.

Allison Mansion

Discover Allison Mansion in Indianapolis, Indiana: This elaborate estate contains a stunning marble aviary, a sunken conservatory, and a magnificent music room with a two-story pipe organ.

The Bigfoot Trap

Discover The Bigfoot Trap in Jacksonville, Oregon: Sasqu(w)atch out!

Winter Garden Theatre

Discover Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto, Ontario: A botanically themed auditorium blooms within the world’s last operating double-decker theater.

Brixton Windmill

Discover Brixton Windmill in London, England: A fully functional, 200-year-old remnant of the time when Brixton was mostly fields.

Bayers Lake Mystery Walls

Discover Bayers Lake Mystery Walls in Halifax, Nova Scotia: No one knows the origins of the mysterious stone ruins discovered on a hillside in Halifax.

Sekigahara War Land

Discover Sekigahara War Land in Sekigahara-chō, Japan: One of the bloodiest and most important battles in Japanese history is recreated with kitschy concrete statues.

WeirdStuff Warehouse

Discover WeirdStuff Warehouse in Sunnyvale, California: An Aladdin's cave of old Silicon Valley tech.

Surf Snowdonia

Discover Surf Snowdonia in Dolgarrog, Wales: Britain's only artificial surfing lake is nestled in the beautiful mountains of Wales.

Phare de Gatteville

Discover Phare de Gatteville in Gatteville-le-Phare, France: A beautiful lighthouse with as many steps as days in the year, as many windows as weeks, and as many levels as months.

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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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