Secret Garden of Bruges

Discover Secret Garden of Bruges in Bruges, Belgium: You would never come across this tiny green oasis if you didn't know it existed.

Bridge of Glass

Discover Bridge of Glass in Tacoma, Washington: A beautiful footbridge with over 2,000 glass sculptures along the walls and ceiling.

Kurt Cobain’s Benches

Discover Kurt Cobain's Benches in Seattle, Washington: A sliver of nostalgia in Seattle's Viretta Park.

Cats of Longwood Gardens

Discover Cats of Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania: These lush botanical gardens employ the most purrfect pest control force.

Fortune’s Smokehouse

Discover Fortune's Smokehouse in Whitby, England: This tiny traditional smokehouse is the only one left in this historic fishing port.

The Nykur of Sørvágsvatn

Discover The Nykur of Sørvágsvatn in Faroe Islands: In Faroese legend, this sinister horse-shaped beast lures unsuspecting passersby only to drown them in the lake.

The Lost Caves

Discover The Lost Caves in Nottingham, England: Hidden in a grotto 26 feet below Nottingham's oldest hotel, this stylish subterranean drinking den is notoriously hard to find.

Fuente de las Nereidas

Discover Fuente de las Nereidas in Buenos Aires, Argentina: This beautiful fountain was sculpted by a female artist who was ahead of her time.

Birthplace of the Web

Discover Birthplace of the Web in Meyrin, Switzerland: The World Wide Web was created in this nondescript corridor at CERN.

Château Laurier

Discover Château Laurier in Ottawa, Ontario: The mastermind behind this palatial hotel perished on the Titanic weeks before its grand opening.

The Central Shop

Discover The Central Shop in Wicklow, Ireland: Not actually a shop, but one fan's passionate show of support for a rival county's Gaelic football team.

The Ancient Gate of Amadiya

This beautiful arched gate is all that remains of the fortress that the ancient mountaintop town once was.

Pskov-Caves Monastery

Discover Pskov-Caves Monastery in Pechory, Russia: This 15th-century cave complex is one of the very few monasteries to stay open throughout World War II and the Soviet regime.

Filles Dansantes

Discover Filles Dansantes in Ridder, Kazakhstan: A statue of traditional Kazakh dancers adds some beauty to this Soviet-era mining city.

The Ronning Burl

Discover The Ronning Burl in Port McNeill, British Columbia: A Canadian port town is oddly home to two of the largest tree burls in the world.

Ust-Kamenogorsk Lock

Discover Ust-Kamenogorsk Lock in Ust'-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan: Tucked away along a riverbend in an area known for its uranium mines is one of the world's tallest locks.

Le Grand K

Discover Le Grand K in Saint-Cloud, France: The former global standard for the exact mass of one kilogram sits under lock and key outside Paris.

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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