Archives: Atlas Obscuras

The Exorcist Stairs

Discover The Exorcist Stairs in Washington, D.C.: The site of the climactic scene from the classic horror film is now a historic landmark.

Abandoned Octagon House

The eight-sided home was built for a Virginia plantation owner during a brief octagon house craze in the 1850s.

The Bakelite Museum

Discover The Bakelite Museum in Williton, England: A collection of retro plastic goods made with "the material of a thousand uses.".

Peru’s Gran Hotel Bolivar

Discover Gran Hotel Bolivar in Cercado de Lima, Peru: Visiting dignitaries and Hollywood stars once stayed at this 1920s hotel, alongside ghosts that are said to haunt its corridors.

New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden

Discover New York Chinese Scholar's Garden in Staten Island, New York: This small and serene place for quiet reflection on Staten Island was built in China based on the gardens of the Ming Dynasty.

Kokomo Gallery

Discover Kokomo Gallery in Lemmon, South Dakota: This sculpture gallery is home to magnificent beasts made of scrap metal and found objects.

Victory Memorial Drive

Discover Victory Memorial Drive in Minneapolis, Minnesota: A little-known memorial to servicemen and nurses killed in the line of duty during the First World War.

A Sky Full of Gods and Buddhas

Discover A Sky Full of Gods and Buddhas in Hong Kong: Thousands of abandoned statues of deities are taken to this hillside in southern Hong Kong.

Fire Museum in City Hall

Discover Fire Museum in City Hall in The Dalles, Oregon: A small, fascinating fire museum hidden in plain sight in an administrative building.

The Rue Obscure

Discover The Rue Obscure in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France: A medieval military street hidden beneath a charming French fishing village.

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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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