Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Lester Ghost Town

Discover Lester Ghost Town in North Bend, Washington: A short hike into the mountainside forest reveals a decaying 1890s town.

Portland Cement Plant Ruins

Discover Portland Cement Plant Ruins in San Antonio, Texas: A tall smoke stack and boarded-up buildings are all that's left of the pioneering plant.

Hinckley Hilton President’s Walk

Discover Hinckley Hilton President's Walk in Washington, D.C.: A hidden passageway now marks the site of an assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan that some say broke a 140-year-old curse.

Old Car City

Discover Old Car City in White, Georgia: One of the world's largest automobile junkyards is a unique landscape of metal and moss.

Devil’s Valley

Discover Devil's Valley in Stabilimenti, Italy: Once an ancient Roman bath, now a hotbed of geothermal energy and a hub for energetic innovations.

Porter Creek Bridge Ruins

Discover Porter Creek Bridge Ruins in Bay Village, Ohio: The overgrown remains of an old rail bridge rise above the valley like ancient Greek ruins.

Old Zakopane Cemetery

Discover Old Zakopane Cemetery in Zakopane, Poland: Polish luminaries and masterful folk art find sanctuary in this unique cemetery.

Burn O’Vat

Discover Burn O'Vat in Aberdeenshire, Scotland: A glacial pothole was once a hideout for a notorious Scottish outlaw.

The Diana Room

Discover The Diana Room in Barranco, Peru: A small, emotionally charged room inside the Mario Testino Museum dedicated to Princess Diana and one famous photo shoot.

Detroit Masonic Temple

Discover Detroit Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan: The world’s largest Masonic temple was saved by the White Stripes.

Cave del Predil

Discover Cave del Predil in Cave del Predil, Italy: With its mine closed, this old village is starting to resemble a ghost town.

Klenze’s Stone Bench

Discover Klenze's Stone Bench in Munich, Germany: The unusually large seat sits atop the base of a ruined temple.

‘Kindred Spirits’ Sculpture

Discover 'Kindred Spirits' Sculpture in Cork, Ireland: A tribute to the incredible generosity the Choctaw Nation showed the Irish people during the Great Famine.

Mehrangarh Fort

Discover Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, India: This stunning 15th-century royal hill fort preserves the age of chivalry in Rajasthan.

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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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