Second Beach

Discover Second Beach in Forks, Washington: A surreal landscape where fanged rocks rise from the ground and the ocean feels like a great mystery.

Dickie Bird Statue

Discover Dickie Bird Statue in Barnsley, England: This tribute to a beloved cricket umpire is a magnet for risqué pranksters.

La Tulipe

Discover La Tulipe in Geneva, Switzerland: A rare, flower-shaped example of Brutalist architecture in Switzerland.

The ‘Fr. Pat Noise’ Hoax Plaque

Discover Fr. Pat Noise Memorial Plaque in Dublin, Ireland: A mysterious plaque to the even more mysterious "Fr. Pat Noise," killed in "suspicious circumstances.".

Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum

Discover Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum in Shanghai, China: A wall within the institution displays the names of 13,000 Jews who took refuge in the city during World War II.

Multi-Named Street

Discover Arkhivna Street in Lviv, Ukraine: This street has over a half-dozen names, all at once.

Last Chance Mining Museum

Discover Last Chance Mining Museum in Juneau, Alaska: Impressive artifacts from Juneau's gold mining days fill this mining site-turned-museum.

Snösätra Wall of Fame

Discover Snösätra Wall of Fame in Stockholm, Sweden: Street artists transformed this abandoned industrial neighborhood into one of Europe's largest graffiti exhibitions.

Vasehenge

Discover Vasehenge in Zanesville, Ohio: A circle of giant painted vases in the former pottery capital of the United States.

The Monster Building

This hulking behemoth in Hong Kong is actually five interconnected towers built in the 1960s.

Brown Derby

Discover Brown Derby in Los Angeles, California: Outposts of this restaurant chain were shaped like jaunty chapeaus.

Stoosbahn Funicular

Discover Stoosbahn Funicular in Schwyz, Switzerland: The steepest classic funicular in the world glides along a dizzying incline.

Trongsa Dzong

Discover Trongsa Dzong in Trongsa, Bhutan: The largest and, arguably, most scenic fortress in Bhutan.

Marble Bath

Discover Marble Bath in Inyo County, California: This desert oddity hides in plain sight thanks to a cartographic error and a desert explorer with a punny sense of humor.

Sail of the USS Parche

Discover Sail of the USS Parche in Bremerton, Washington: The only surviving piece of a submarine said to be the most decorated vessel in U.S. history.

Menu

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