Cuba’s Bay of Pigs Museum

Discover Museo Girón in Playa Girón, Cuba: A small museum in the Bay of Pigs gives the Cuban perspective on the famously failed U.S. invasion.

Santa Claus’ Main Post Office

Discover Santa Claus' Main Post Office in Rovaniemi, Finland: Roughly 17 million letters to Santa have found their way to this Arctic Circle post office.

Flavian Amphitheater of Pozzuoli

Discover Flavian Amphitheater of Pozzuoli in Pozzuoli, Italy: Italy's third-largest Roman arena gives a peek into the underground operations beneath the ancient spectacles.

Fort Mifflin

Discover Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: This little-known Revolutionary War fort is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of its past.

Hula Hoop Tree

Discover Hula Hoop Tree in Anamosa, Iowa: Two hula hoops appeared on the tree after a storm, and the collection kept growing.

New England Carousel Museum

Discover New England Carousel Museum in Bristol, Connecticut: A parade of antique steeds offers a quirky ride through history.

Shambles of York

Discover Shambles of York in York, England: Follow the original medieval paths that wind through this intriguing section of the city.

Peacock Room

Discover Peacock Room in Washington, D.C.: This stunning blue and gold room changed cities twice before becoming part of the Smithsonian.

Chaiselongue

Discover Chaiselongue in Zurich, Switzerland: This colossal couch is an unlikely monument to Europe's first female Doctor of Law.

Expo ’92 Grounds

Discover Expo '92 Grounds in Seville, Spain: An eerie collection of the surviving structures from a past celebration of the future.

Piece Hall

Discover Piece Hall in Halifax, England: This Georgian architectural masterpiece is the only cloth hall left in Britain.

Gay City Ghost Town

Discover Gay City State Park in Hebron, Connecticut: The ruins of an abandoned 18th-century town that is slowly being reclaimed by the forest.

Francisco Pizarro Statue

Discover Francisco Pizarro Statue in Cercado de Lima, Peru: A monument to the conquistador became increasingly controversial in the very city that he founded.

Barryland

Discover Barryland in Martigny, Switzerland: Enormous, fluffy dogs frolic around this museum dedicated to a legendary Saint Bernard.

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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