Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Aikey Brae Stone Circle

Discover Aikey Brae Stone Circle in Peterhead, Scotland: Considered "the most original, complete, and unimproved" circles in Aberdeenshire.

Mearns Castle

Discover Mearns Castle in Newton Mearns, Scotland: Attached to this castle is a local church.

Wise Clock (Riis Park Memorial Clock)

Discover Wise Clock (Riis Park Memorial Clock) in Queens, New York: This 19th-century clock has been restored to help withstand the harsh environment of its seaside home.

Font de Sant Just

Discover Font de Sant Just in Barcelona, Spain: This fountain was designed to honor the man who helped bring water to Barcelona.

Kahl-Bürg

Discover Kahl-Bürg in Le Tréport, France:.

Church of St. Luzi Crypt

Discover Church of St. Luzi Crypt in Chur, Switzerland: The remains of St. Lucius of Chur were said to be kept in this crypt for several centuries.

Park of Souls

Discover Park of Souls in Acharnes, Greece: After a catastrophic forest fire, a Greek artist transformed scorched tree trunks outside an old sanatorium into this haunting sculpture garden.

Cueva de las Golondrinas

Discover Cueva de las Golondrinas (Cave of the Swallows) in Manatí, Puerto Rico: The short hike is worth the stunning views and crystal blue waters of a secluded beach.

‘Han’ (‘He’)

Discover 'Han' ('He') in Helsingør, Denmark: The shiny silver little brother to Copenhagen's Little Mermaid statue.

Stoke Newington Town Hall

Discover Stoke Newington Town Hall in London, England: You can still see bits of the camouflage used to hide this Art Deco building from bombers during World War II.

Bear Paw Battlefield

Discover Bear Paw Battlefield in Chinook, Montana: This remote Montana battlefield is the site of the Nez Perce Flight of 1877.

Great Emptiness Museum

Discover Great Emptiness Museum in Orto Say, Kyrgyzstan: Where you'll find anything but nothing.

The Candy Church of Lamèque Island

Discover The Candy Church in Petite-Rivière-de-l'Ile, New Brunswick: Inside the simple black-and-white exterior of Église Sainte-Cécile hides a pastel wonderland.

Mačkamama

Discover Mačkamama in Osijek, Croatia: A statue of Paulina Hermann, the eccentric noblewoman known as the "mother of cats.".

Jutulholet

Discover Jutulholet in Vihals, Norway: Local legends say that a giant who tried to destroy a nearby church lived in this rock cave.

Carn Goedog

Discover Carn Goedog in Wales: Stonehenge Bluestone Quarry.

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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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