Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Church of Agioi Pantes

Discover Church of Agioi Pantes in Nafplio, Greece: A staircase made of gravestones leads up to this church built into a giant rock.

Ammachi Kottaram

Discover Ammachi Kottaram in Kuttikkanam, India: A former palace designed for the consorts of the Travancore royal dynasty.

Evanston Garage Door Gallery

Discover Evanston Garage Door Gallery in Evanston, Illinois: The murals have transformed a residential alley into a vibrant drive-through gallery.

Cafe al Mercato

Discover Cafe al Mercato in Bronx, New York: Seriously good slices of Sicilian pizza lurk at the back of the Bronx's oldest enclosed market.

Brown & Haley Factory Store

Discover Brown & Haley Factory Store in Tacoma, Washington: This century-old confectioner's outlet store was plucked right out of the Seattle World's Fair.

The Hermit House

Discover The Hermit House in Herzliya, Israel: This marvelous work of outsider architecture is built into the cliffs of an Israeli beach.

Sant’Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso

Discover Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso in Rome, Italy: This basilica is dedicated to two saints, one of which is known more for his famous quote.

Café Papeneiland

Discover Café Papeneiland in Amsterdam, Netherlands: Famed for its pie, this eatery has a hidden tunnel that allowed Catholics to secretly walk to church during the Reformation.

Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument

Discover Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in Brooklyn, New York: This beautiful Brooklyn monument over a crypt memorializes a grim and largely unknown story from the American Revolution.

North Idaho Trading Company

Discover North Idaho Trading Company in Wallace, Idaho: This oddity shop contains everything from antique tools to a human skeleton.

Murder Kroger

Discover Murder Kroger in Atlanta, Georgia: A series of unfortunate events have given this grocery icon an eerie moniker.

Point Pleasant Battlefield Memorial

Discover Point Pleasant Battlefield Memorial in Point Pleasant, West Virginia: The site of the one and only battle of Lord Dunmore's War.

Rijeka Tunnel

Discover Rijeka Tunnel in Rijeka, Croatia: This military tunnel dates back to World War II and provides visitors with a little wartime adrenaline.

Badu Mangroves

Discover Badu Mangroves in Sydney, Australia: A boardwalk winds through this sliver of coastal nature hidden within Sydney.

Altamira Cave Replica

Discover Altamira Cave Replica in Madrid, Spain: A reproduction of the famous prehistoric cave paintings is hidden underground at the National Archaeological Museum.

Thomas Magliozzi Plaque

Discover Thomas Magliozzi Plaque in Cambridge, Massachusetts: This plaque is dedicated to one-half of the Magliozzi brothers and their hit radio show, 'Car Talk.'.

Ring of Life

Discover Ring of Life in Fushun, China: The massive steel ring looks like it could be China’s first Stargate.

Sealaska Heritage Institute

Discover Sealaska Heritage Institute in Juneau, Alaska: Often mistaken for an office building, inside this venue is an amazing collection of Native Alaskan art.

Talbot Rice Gallery

Discover Talbot Rice Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland: Once designed as a natural history museum, this building is now home to a massive art gallery.

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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

PP ToS