Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Villa Charlotte Brontë

Discover Villa Charlotte Brontë in Bronx, New York: Built in the 1920s, this co-op in the Bronx feels more like an Italian villa than a typical New York apartment building.

Jabal Ikmah

Discover Jabal Ikmah in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia: The rocks around this mountain are filled with so many carvings that the area became known as the "open library.".

QDOS Arts

Discover QDOS Arts in Lorne, Australia: A tranquil gallery and sculpture garden situated within the classic Australian bush.

Söderto Fortress

Discover Söderto Fortress in Söderto, Sweden: This makeshift concrete bunker is an unusual reminder of the Cold War.

Torre da Estrela

Discover Torre da Estrela in Loriga, Portugal: This tower once served as a radar station during the Cold War.

Mighty Joe the Gorilla

Discover Mighty Joe the Gorilla in Shamong, New Jersey: This 25-foot-tall gorilla made his way from the Wildwood boardwalk to a Pine Barrens gas station and deli.

Exposition Park Marker

Discover Exposition Park Marker in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: A piece of baseball history is preserved in a Pittsburgh parking lot.

Ka Hale La’au

Discover Ka Hale La’au in Honolulu, Hawaii: Hawai'i's oldest wooden house was shipped around Cape Horn from Boston in 1820.

Calvary Cathedral’s Stained-Glass Windows

Discover Calvary Cathedral's Stained-Glass Windows in Sioux Falls, South Dakota: The 19th-century artwork was once highly controversial—because it was donated to the church by a divorcee.

Moikeha Canal Bridge

Discover Moikeha Canal Bridge in Kapaʻa, Hawaii: Now a pedestrian bridge, this was once part of a narrow-gauge railroad that ran along the east coast of Kauai.

Historic Wilson Bridge

Discover Historic Wilson Bridge in Hagerstown, Maryland: Once damaged by Hurricane Agnes, this bridge is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

‘Salford First’

Discover 'Salford First' in Salford, England: This statue includes small details that highlight a city of "firsts.".

Mysterious Carved Rocks of Los Alamos

Discover Mysterious Carved Rocks of Los Alamos in Los Alamos, New Mexico: These strange carved boulders in a forested canyon resemble tiny stone villages.

Lion Tombs of Dadan

Discover Lion Tombs of Dadan in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia: Lions carved into the rockface adorn these two tombs built into the mountains of Dadan.

San Juan Sound

Discover San Juan Sound in San Juan, Puerto Rico: At this studio, musicians, engineers, and quite possibly a music-loving ghost carry on Puerto Rico's musical traditions.

Guayacán Centenario

Discover Guayacán Centenario in Guánica, Puerto Rico: A resilient tree that has survived for more than 700 years in Guánica Dry Forest.

Seal Cove Auto Museum

Discover Seal Cove Auto Museum in Tremont, Maine: One of the country's best automotive museums and home to one of the first motor vehicles.

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i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 260 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. 474 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. 499 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. 633 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. 135 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. 167 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). 252 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 148 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. 96 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. 166

PP ToS