The Lady in the Woods

Discover The Lady in the Woods in Kent, England: This oak sculpture at the edge of a small woodland is nine feet tall and shrouded in mystery.

Hank Williams Death Monument

Discover Hank Williams Death Monument in Oak Hill, West Virginia: A humble plaque marks the site where the country music legend was found dead in his Cadillac.

Legislative Bell System

Discover Legislative Bell System in Washington, D.C.: An ear-piercing buzzer calls lawmakers to a vote with a series of long and short rings to form coded messages.

America’s Oldest Spa

Bubbling up from deep underground is the warm crystal clear water that fills the ironically named Jefferson Pools.

USS Balao Conning Tower

Discover USS Balao Conning Tower in Washington, D.C.: Part of a WWII submarine is lurking outside the Washington Navy Yard parking lot.

The Bigfoot Trap

Discover The Bigfoot Trap in Jacksonville, Oregon: Sasqu(w)atch out!

Bayers Lake Mystery Walls

Discover Bayers Lake Mystery Walls in Halifax, Nova Scotia: No one knows the origins of the mysterious stone ruins discovered on a hillside in Halifax.

Surf Snowdonia

Discover Surf Snowdonia in Dolgarrog, Wales: Britain's only artificial surfing lake is nestled in the beautiful mountains of Wales.

The Tomb of Seuthes III

Discover The Tomb of Seuthes III in Shipka, Bulgaria: The remarkably well-preserved final resting place of a powerful ancient Thracian king.

Phallic Rock

A mysterious penis-shaped rock on the grounds of a Buddhist monastery.

Amatol Ghost Town

Discover Amatol Ghost Town in Hammonton, New Jersey: In the woods of New Jersey lie the ruins of a munitions village abandoned after World War I and the remnants of a 1920s wooden racetrack.

Italy’s ‘Colony of Horrors’

Discover Colonia di Rovegno in Pietranera, Italy: The now-abandoned Fascist summer colony served a dark purpose during World War II.

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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