Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Pelican Island

Discover Pelican Island in Vero Beach, Florida: This small island was the first National Wildlife Refuge ever created in the United States.

Municipal Cemetery of Tlacotalpan

Discover Municipal Cemetery of Tlacotalpan in Tlacotalpan, Mexico: The graveyard displays the colonial Mexican and Caribbean architectural fusion that defines this city.

816 Underground Nuclear Plant

Discover 816 Underground Nuclear Plant in Fuling, China: This top secret Chinese military megaproject is the world’s largest human-made tunnel structure.

Zofiówka Sanatorium

Discover Zofiówka Sanatorium in Otwock, Poland: An abandoned Jewish sanatorium is tucked within the woods of Poland.

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company

Discover Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company in San Francisco, California: One of the oldest producers of hand-folded fortune cookies still uses its original secret recipe.

Mill Creek

Discover Mill Creek in Moab, Utah: A small oasis not far from downtown Moab.

Dundas House

Discover Dundas House in Edinburgh, Scotland: This stately bank building hides a spectacular star-studded ceiling.

‘The Dancers’

Discover 'The Dancers' in South Brisbane, Australia: The unique work of art celebrates the 30th anniversary of the 1988 World Expo.

Pyramids of Tenayuca

Discover Pyramids of Tenayuca in Tlalnepantla, Mexico: A barbarous band of serpents guard the bases of these Aztec temples.

The Lost Arm of F. Stewart

Discover The Lost Arm of F. Stewart in Paradise, Texas: In Paradise Cemetery resides a mysterious headstone with a strange inscription.

Lusik Aguletsi House-Museum

Discover Lusik Aguletsi House-Museum in Yerevan, Armenia: A museum dedicated to traditional Armenian clothing and their designer.

King Aethelstan’s Tomb

Discover King Aethelstan's Tomb in Wiltshire, England: The last known resting place of the king who united England.

Palace of Concerts and Sports

Discover Palace of Concerts and Sports in Vilnius, Lithuania: An abandoned masterpiece of Soviet Brutalist architecture.

Lion of Bavaria

Discover Lion of Bavaria in Nafplio, Greece: This slumbering beast honors the Bavarian soldiers who died in Greece during a 19th-century typhoid outbreak.

Harmby Waterfall

Discover Harmby Waterfall in Harmby, England: A small waterfall tucked away in the forest of Harmby Gill.

Temple de Mars

Discover Temple de Mars in Corseul, France: Journey through the ruins of this ancient Roman temple dedicated to the god of war.

Community Christian Church

Discover Community Christian Church in Kansas City, Missouri: A magnificent church designed by world-renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.

Castillo Ortega-Douglas

Discover Castillo Ortega-Douglas in Aguascalientes, Mexico: In Mexico, an abandoned Scottish-looking castle stands as a tribute to love.

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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