Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Skyscraper Museum

Discover Skyscraper Museum in New York, New York: An institution dedicated to the towering buildings that make up skylines in New York City and around the world.

Pier 26 Tide Deck

Discover Pier 26 Tide Deck in New York, New York: Amid skyscrapers and traffic exists this unique aquatic ecosystem.

King’s Theatre Dome

Discover King's Theatre Dome in Edinburgh, Scotland: This modern work of art was a refreshing addition to one of the oldest theatres in the city.

Forrest Gump Point

Discover Forrest Gump Point in Halchita, Utah: The location where the iconic movie character declared it was time to go home.

White Rabbit Books & Curiosities

Discover White Rabbit Books & Curiosities in Durango, Colorado: A riverside tiny house with books and other treasures galore.

Holocaust Tree of Life Memorial

Discover Holocaust Tree of Life Memorial in Budapest, Hungary: The metal leaves on this tree are engraved with the names of Holocaust victims.

Frazier Falls

Discover Frazier Falls in Graeagle, California: The viewpoint for this attractive, off-the-beaten-path waterfall is reached by a paved, wheelchair-accessible trail.

Hallstatt Museum

Discover Hallstatt Museum in Hallstatt, Austria: Dedicated to this region's early settlements and rich history of salt mining.

Museum of Mushrooms

Discover Museum of Mushrooms in Zagreb, Croatia: This only museum in the world dedicated solely to mushrooms.

Pine Forest Cemetery

Discover Pine Forest Cemetery in Wilmington, North Carolina: For more than 150 years, this cemetery has served as the final resting place for many members of Wilmington's Black community.

Theatricum Botanicum

Discover Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga, California: Will Geer's outdoor theater started as a mountain retreat for actors, musicians, and other artists who were blacklisted during the Red Scare.

Tygart Lake

Discover Tygart Lake in Grafton, West Virginia: A beautiful hidden gem in central West Virginia.

Chimney Rock

Discover Chimney Rock in Chimney Rock, Colorado: Two tall rocks sit at the center of this site, once the home of a large Ancestral Puebloan community.

Dirty Dick’s

Discover Dirty Dick's in London, England: This pub boasts a curious history and may have inspired a Dickens character.

West 230th Step Street

Discover West 230th Step Street in Bronx, New York: The longest step street in the city.

Las Vegas Strip Benchmarks

Discover Las Vegas Strip Benchmarks in Las Vegas, Nevada: These markers are used to determine the ground stability of the Strip.

Wirth’s Circus Mosaic

Discover Wirth's Circus Mosaic in Southbank, Australia: Designed to celebrate more than a century of circus performances in Australia.

Bølgen (The Wave)

Discover Bølgen (The Wave) in Vejle, Denmark: This unique architectural wonder is home to luxury apartments.

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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

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