Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Vision del Futuro

Discover Vision del Futuro in San Antonio, Texas: San Antonio's first 3-D stereoscopic mural is a trippy treat for the eyes.

Cornè House

Discover Cornè House in Newport, Rhode Island: The home of the artist credited with introducing the tomato to the American diet.

Dorea Institute

Discover Dorea Institute in Franklin, Québec: This abandoned orphanage-turned-asylum witnessed a terrible chapter in Québec's history.

‘Miracle on Ice’ Statue

Discover 'Miracle on Ice' Statue in Saint Paul, Minnesota: This statue of Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks immortalizes one of the greatest moments in American sports history.

Carrabelle Bottle House

Discover Carrabelle Bottle House in Carrabelle, Florida: The bottle house obsession struck a Florida man in his retirement, and now he can't stop building.

Fabyan Villa Museum

Discover Fabyan Villa Museum in Geneva, Illinois: This house renovated by Frank Lloyd Wright was the centerpiece of a lavish 20th-century estate.

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.

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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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