Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Åtvidaberg Sun Cannon

Discover Åtvidaberg Sun Cannon in Åtvidaberg, Sweden: In the town of Åtvidaberg, the midday sun sets off a loud cannon boom.

Spittal Pond Nature Reserve

Discover Spittal Pond Nature Reserve in Smith's, Bermuda: Where a rare geological phenomenon created a section of rock that resembles a checkerboard.

James Bond Island

Discover Ko Ta Pu (James Bond Island) in ambon Kalai, Thailand: A tall karst islet popularized by 007.

Oakland’s 1920s Cascade Stairway

Discover Cleveland Cascade in Oakland, California: A restored 1920s cascade stairway provides one of the best views of Oakland's Lake Merritt.

Tomb of Sa’ad Ibn Abi Waqqas

Discover Tomb of Sa'ad Ibn Abi Waqqas in Guangzhou, China: A shrine to the missionary who first brought Islam to China.

Anoka State Hospital

Discover Anoka State Hospital in Anoka, Minnesota: For over a century, it was a crucial center of mental health treatment and also the source of many local legends.

Carousel on the National Mall

Discover Carousel on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.: Washington's iconic carousel has a nice piece of Civil Rights history.

Woodstock Artists Cemetery

Discover Woodstock Artists Cemetery in Woodstock, New York: Now the final resting place of prominent artists and musicians, it was originally founded to separate the rich from the poor in death.

Tetbury Dolphins

Discover Tetbury Dolphins in Tetbury, England: It's a mystery as to why this inland village chose the dolphin as its symbol.

Book Arts & Rare Book Collections

Discover Book Arts & Rare Book Collections in Seattle, Washington: Peruse rare tomes like poetry bound in pearls or books with branches and berries growing out of their spines.

Peko

Discover Peko in Estonia: A wooden statue of an Estonian pagan god and King of the Setos stands atop a sacred hill.

Cerro Blanco

Discover Cerro Blanco in Naska pruwinsya, Peru: This unimaginably large pile of sand near Nazca is one of the tallest dunes in the world.

Benjamin Grenup Monument

Discover Benjamin Grenup Monument in Washington, D.C.: This grisly headstone doesn’t seem to be resting in peace.

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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

PP ToS