St. Mary of the Angels

Discover St. Mary of the Angels in Chicago, Illinois: This titanic Catholic church in Chicago is also a refuge of the fictional cult-favorite wizard detective Harry Dresden.

Beheading Stone

Discover Beheading Stone in Stirling, Scotland: Legend says this rock was once a chopping block for public executions.

Gorilla Building

Discover Gorilla Building in Tokyo, Japan: A King Kong-like gorilla hangs from the top of this commercial building in Tokyo.

Karl-Marx-Monument

Discover Karl-Marx-Monument in Chemnitz, Germany: One of the largest busts in the world celebrates the German city's erstwhile namesake.

Schouwburgplein Kinetic Lamp Posts

Discover Schouwburgplein Kinetic Lamp Posts in Rotterdam, Netherlands: Four giant movable street lights decorate this modern Rotterdam square.

Pillnitz Camellia

Discover Pillnitz Camellia in Dresden, Germany: An engineering wonder at Pillnitz Castle protects a precious 230-year-old flowering shrub.

Dykande Måsen

Discover Dykande Måsen in Stockholm, Sweden: A concrete Picasso in the middle of a student housing complex on the outskirts of Stockholm.

Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve

Discover Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve in Eydhafushi, Maldives: The world's seventh-largest coral reef contains an incredible amount of biodiversity.

New York’s Adam and Eve Sculptures

Discover New York's Adam and Eve Sculptures in New York, New York: Two large-scale sculptures of Adam and Eve greet visitors in the nude at the Time Warner Center in NYC.

Ellsworth Rock Gardens

Discover Ellsworth Rock Gardens in Kabetogama Township, Minnesota: Terraced flowerbeds and rock sculptures in the midst of the Minnesota wilderness.

Gue(ho)st House

Discover Gue(ho)st House in Delme, France: This building’s ghostly exterior reflects its former lives as a prison, school, and funeral home.

Site of the Cohoes Mastodon

Discover Site of the Cohoes Mastodon in Cohoes, New York: A 13,000-year-old mastodon skeleton was found during the construction of a 19th-century New York mill.

Fortaleza Ozama (Ozama Fortress)

Discover Fortaleza Ozama (Ozama Fortress) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: The oldest colonial fortress in the Americas was once the home and later prison of Christopher Columbus.

Schoonoord Historical Garden

Discover Schoonoord Historical Garden in Rotterdam, Netherlands: An early 19th-century English style garden hidden in the Rotterdam cityscape.

The Resting Place of Pocahontas

Discover The Resting Place of Pocahontas in Kent, England: The last resting place of the famous Native American princess is marked by a haunting monument.

Sunvale Village

Discover Sunvale Village in Twentynine Palms, California: In this roadside "community for the small," abandoned toys gain new lives.

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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