Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Cabildo de Córdoba

Discover Cabildo de Córdoba in Córdoba, Argentina: One of the oldest colonial buildings still standing in South America.

Turkish Baths Harrogate

Discover Turkish Baths Harrogate in Harrogate, England: The last fully working Victorian Turkish bath in England.

Tor Caldara

Discover Tor Caldara in Anzio, Italy: An old watchtower from the 16th-century now watches over sulfur springs and one of Lazio's last coastal woodlands.

Stronger Than Death Monument

Discover Stronger Than Death Monument in Semey, Kazakhstan: This 100-foot tall tombstone memorializes victims of 40 years of nuclear testing in Kazakhstan.

Bison Coffeehouse

Discover Bison Coffeehouse in Portland, Oregon: This café is dedicated to serving coffee roasted by Native American-owned companies.

Černy’s Buried Soviet Tank

Discover Černy's Buried Soviet Tank in Prague, Czechia: A half-buried vehicle in Prague's is the latest iteration in a long-running piece by Czech artist David Černý.

Aztalan State Park

Discover Aztalan State Park in Jefferson, Wisconsin: The site of an ancient Mississippian settlement that appears to have flourished during the 10th to 13th centuries.

Mount Roosevelt Friendship Tower

Discover Mount Roosevelt Friendship Tower in Deadwood, South Dakota: Seth Bullock, the sheriff of Deadwood, built this town immediately after Teddy Roosevelt’s death in 1919.

Lake McDonald

Discover Lake McDonald in West Glacier, Montana: Spectacular views await visitors to this lake.

Hwangsang-dong Buddha Carving

Discover Hwangsang-dong Buddha Carving in Gumi, South Korea: An outstanding Unified Silla Period rock carved Buddha.

St Anthony Head

Discover St Anthony Head in England: On this headland lies a 19th Century lighthouse and historic gun battery.

LBJ Presidential Marker

Discover LBJ Presidential Marker in Dallas, Texas: The unique location where the former president was rapidly sworn in.

The Bywater Museum of Unnatural History

Discover The Bywater Museum of Unnatural History in New Orleans, Louisiana: Professional and amateur dioramas, taxidermy, and oddities all located in an attic above a gallery.

Borugak Jagyeongnu

Discover Borugak Jagyeongnu in Jeong-dong, South Korea: A ancient striking water clock, in both senses of the word.

Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum

Discover Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing, China: The mausoleum of the founder of the Ming Dynasty.

Bunhwangsa

Discover Bunhwangsa in Gyeongju, South Korea: The oldest pagoda from the Silla Kingdom.

‘Allen the Peregrine Falcon’

Discover 'Allen the Peregrine Falcon' in Broomhall, England: This Sheffield sculpture composed of 17,000 Allen keys honors both urban falcons and a furniture icon.

Unhyeongung

Discover Unhyeongung in Seoul, South Korea: The site of the last royal wedding in Korea.

Historic Occaneechee Speedway

Discover Historic Occaneechee Speedway in Hillsborough, North Carolina: One of the few surviving original NASCAR dirt-track speedways.

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i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 260 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. 474 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. 499 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. 633 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. 135 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. 167 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). 252 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 148 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. 96 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. 166

PP ToS