Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Hand Fan Museum

Discover Hand Fan Museum in Healdsburg, California: This collection of hand fans doubles as a history of femininity.

Książ Castle

Discover Książ Castle in Walbrzych, Poland: A fairytale Gothic castle steeped in Nazi treasure conspiracy theories.

Second Avenue Subway Art

Discover Second Avenue Subway Art in New York, New York: Beautiful mosaics cover the first stations opened on New York City's newest subway line.

Transpeninsular Midpoint Marker

Discover Transpeninsular Midpoint Marker in Delmar, Maryland: The stone marker that Mason and Dixon placed at the eastern end of the famous north-south border they surveyed.

Fort Barrancas

Discover Fort Barrancas in Pensacola, Florida: This now-deactivated naval base defended the Florida coast for centuries.

Kebokwe’s Cave

Discover Kebokwe's Cave in Molepolole, Botswana: The historic cave is both a symbol of superstition and black magic and inspired one of the early Christian converts in Botswana.

‘Wandering the Immeasurable’

Discover 'Wandering the Immeasurable' in Meyrin, Switzerland: CERN's beautiful, bending sculpture is a tribute to the spread of knowledge.

Guardian Lions of Route 66

Discover Guardian Lions of Route 66 in Amboy, California: A pair of large white marble lions guard this stretch of the Mojave Desert, and it is utterly mysterious how they got there.

Tardis Police Box at Earl’s Court

Discover Earl's Court Police Box in London, England: The Metropolitan Police refurbished the blue box (perhaps not coincidentally) the same year "Doctor Who" returned to TV screens.

White House Helipad

Discover White House Helipad in Washington, D.C.: Disks are rolled out onto the south lawn to absorb the impact of Marine One's wheels like giant coffee coasters.

Mount Vernon Slave Cemetery

Discover Mount Vernon Slave Cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia: The graveyard holding the remains of George Washington's slaves was forgotten for nearly 200 years.

The Twice-Abandoned Okaton Ghost Town

Discover Okaton Ghost Town in Murdo, South Dakota: The deserted railroad town had a last gasp as a ghost town attraction before being abandoned for good.

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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