Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Heicheng Ruins

Discover Heicheng Ruins in Alxa, China: Sited in an Inner Mongolian desert are the remnants of an important trade stop along the Silk Road.

Elvis Statue

Discover Elvis Statue in Honolulu, Hawaii: An ode to one of the first concerts broadcast via satellite.

Hamilton Mausoleum

Discover Hamilton Mausoleum in South Lanarkshire, Scotland: A magnificent tomb that was the final resting place of the Dukes of Hamilton.

Commissariat Store

Discover Commissariat Store in Brisbane, Australia: Its most grisly object is a jar full of severed fingers allegedly cut off by prisoners to avoid work.

‘Merry-Go-Round’ Painting

Discover 'Merry-Go-Round' Painting in London, England: A haunting painting meant to capture the calamity of World War I.

Old Tennessee State Prison

Discover Old Tennessee State Prison in Nashville, Tennessee: This defunct, fortress-like prison has been the setting for several movies.

Red Ash Island Cemetery

Discover Red Ash Island Cemetery in Brooklyn, West Virginia: The isolated final resting place for perished coal miners.

Merry-Go-Round Museum

Discover Merry-Go-Round Museum in Sandusky, Ohio: Learn about the history and craftsmanship of carousels inside this museum located in a former post office.

’22 Bees’

Discover '22 Bees' in Manchester, England: This massive memorial commemorates those who died in the Manchester Arena bombing.

Shelburne Museum

Discover Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont: Dispersed across 45-acres, 39 structures house a massive collection celebrating American Folk Art.

Dead Man’s Alley

Discover Dead Man's Alley in Cardiff, Wales: This pedestrian walkway cuts through a cemetery and over several burial vaults.

Ear Inn

Discover Ear Inn in New York, New York: One of the city’s oldest watering holes was originally the home of a famous James Brown (not that one).

El Aliso Sidewalk Plaque

Discover El Aliso Sidewalk Plaque in Los Angeles, California: A memorial to the sacred tree that once towered within Los Angeles.

Beverly Hills Bermuda Triangle

Discover Beverly Hills Bermuda Triangle in Beverly Hills, California: One of the richest places in the United States has a cursed street.

Temple of the Lord of the Rays

Discover Templo del Señor de los Rayos (Temple of the Lord of the Rays) in Aguascalientes, Mexico: The history of this futuristic crypt-turned-temple is as curious as its facade.

Barrage de Malpasset (Malpasset Dam)

Discover Barrage de Malpasset (Malpasset Dam) in Fréjus, France: The ruins stand as a somber reminder of France’s worst civil catastrophe of the 20th century.

The Mound Cemetery

Discover The Mound Cemetery in Marietta, Ohio: At the center of this cemetery stands a 2,000-year-old burial mound of the Adena culture.

Transmission Tower 74

Discover Transmission Tower 74 in Wittighausen, Germany: One of two electrical towers in Germany that have a pathway constructed through the tower's legs.

‘Memory and Reflection’

Discover ‘Memory and Reflection’ in Musselburgh, Scotland: A shiny sculpture celebrating the mighty mollusk.

John Wesley Powell River History Museum

Discover John Wesley Powell River History Museum in Green River, Utah: Contains a wealth of information about the first exploration and later use of the Green and Colorado Rivers.

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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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