Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Hot Springs Beer

Discover Hot Springs Beer in Hot Springs, Arkansas: This Arkansas town is known for its gangster history, its healing waters, and now its brews.

George Washington’s Whiskey

Discover George Washington’s Whiskey in Alexandria, Virginia: Taste the white whiskey that the United States' first president once distilled and enjoyed.

Conger Bread

Discover Conger Bread in Galway, Ireland: After a traumatic encounter with a six-foot eel, one Galway baker started making a daily loaf of sourdough in its shape.

Mummified Bison

Discover Mummified Bison in Washington, D.C.: The 28,000-year-old specimen is remarkably intact.

Gorilla Diorama

Discover Gorilla Diorama in New York, New York: Creating this diorama spurred naturalist Carl Akeley to begin advocating to protect the apes.

Booked Up

Discover Booked Up in Archer City, Texas: A massive collection of rare and antique books in a tiny ranching community in northern Texas.

Carvings of El Jalacate

Discover Carvings of El Jalacate in El Jalacate, Nicaragua: Located in the mountains of Nicaragua, one man has spent most of life beautifying a massive cliff by hand.

Charlotte Square

Discover Charlotte Square in Edinburgh, Scotland: This city square dates back to the Scottish Enlightenment and was home to some of Scotland's brightest minds.

Craigentinny Marbles

Discover Craigentinny Marbles in Edinburgh, Scotland: This enormous, elaborate tomb looks oddly out of place next to a suburban Edinburgh bowling club.

The Scout Stone

Discover The Scout Stone in Dorset, England: This commemorative stone was erected near the first Scout campsite.

World’s Largest Greek Flag

Discover World's Largest Greek Flag in Keri, Greece: Flying high over the small island of Zákynthos is a giant tribute to the mainland.

Azul Cemetery Entrance

Discover Azul Cemetery Entrance in Azul, Argentina: This colossal structure and its accompanying angel often play tricks on the eyes.

Gare Du Montzen

Discover Gare Du Montzen in Plombières, Belgium: Abandoned since 1998, this train station has become an oasis for urban explorers.

Church Sagrado Coração

Discover Church Sagrado Coração in Lisbon, Portugal: Tucked away inside this concrete building is a church and its grand display of brutalist architecture.

Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment

Discover Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment in Huntsville, Alabama: Once a bustling cotton factory, this early 20th-century building is now home to a thriving artspace.

The Bingham-Waggoner Estate

Discover The Bingham-Waggoner Estate in Independence, Missouri: This mansion was made famous by its colorful cast of owners and location along the Sante Fe Trail.

The Manningtree Ox

Discover The Manningtree Ox in Essex, England: This sculpture pays homage to Shakespeare and his reference to a Manningtree tradition.

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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

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