Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Memorial Stupa of Helena Roerich

Discover Memorial Stupa of Helena Roerich in Kalimpong, India: Outside a hilltop monastery in India, a monument to a 20th-century Russian mystic.

Lonaconing Furnace

Discover Lonaconing Furnace in Lonaconing, Maryland: The first blast furnace in the United States that used coal and coke fuel instead of charcoal to make pig iron.

Karpur Baoli

Discover Karpur Baoli in Nagpur, India: Locals say the water level in this 1,200-year-old tank never goes down.

Lonna Island

Discover Lonna Island in Helsinki, Finland: In the waters outside Helsinki, a tiny island once used as a military outpost now welcomes visitors.

Colonia de la Prensa Gate

Discover Colonia de la Prensa Gate in Madrid, Spain: This Art Nouveau gate still stands at the former entrance of a 20th-century Spanish writer's colony.

The Blessing Stone

Discover The Blessing Stone in St Dogmaels, Wales: Since the Middle Ages, this stone has been used as a place to bless fishing boats moored at the nearby landing stage.

Chinese Kali Mandir

Discover Chinese Kali Mandir in Kolkata, India: In Kolkata's China Town, a temple to the Hindu goddess Kali.

Narcis Hotel

Discover Narcis Hotel in Štrpce, Kosovo: As of 2022, the 124 rooms of Kosovo ski resort remain empty.

Ouabache State Park

Discover Ouabache State Park in Bluffton, Indiana: Home to some of Indiana's last bison herds.

Warsaw University Library Garden

Discover Warsaw University Library Garden in Warsaw, Poland: Atop this library is one of the most beautiful green spaces in Warsaw.

Iron Hill School No. 112C

Discover Iron Hill School No. 112C in Newark, Delaware: This school was designed to support the rebuilding of African American schools around Delaware.

Xhamia e Larme

Discover Xhamia e Larme in Tetovo, North Macedonia: Artists made this mosque into a marvel of Ottoman baroque architecture.

‘Fantasy Swan’

Discover ‘Fantasy Swan’ in Orlando, Florida: A different kind of swan princess.

Kirkhill Astronomical Pillar

Discover Kirkhill Astronomical Pillar in Broxburn, Scotland: In the 18th century, the Earl of Buchan mapped the universe on this stone pillar.

Rattlesnake Canyon Arches

Discover Rattlesnake Canyon Arches in Grand Junction, Colorado: This remote Colorado canyon is home to the second-largest collection of natural arches in the world.

Travel Town Museum

Discover Travel Town Museum in Los Angeles, California: A miniature train theme park, free to the public, laying at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Stronger Than Death Monument

Discover Stronger Than Death Monument in Semey, Kazakhstan: This 100-foot tall tombstone memorializes victims of 40 years of nuclear testing in Kazakhstan.

Byards Leap

Discover Byards Leap in Byards Leap, England: According to legend, this is the site where a blind horse killed a local witch.

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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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