Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Tygart Lake

Discover Tygart Lake in Grafton, West Virginia: A beautiful hidden gem in central West Virginia.

Chimney Rock

Discover Chimney Rock in Chimney Rock, Colorado: Two tall rocks sit at the center of this site, once the home of a large Ancestral Puebloan community.

Dirty Dick’s

Discover Dirty Dick's in London, England: This pub boasts a curious history and may have inspired a Dickens character.

Airplane Filling Station

Discover Airplane Filling Station in Knoxville, Tennessee: Once a gas station, this flightless airplane beside the Old Dixie Highway now houses a barbershop.

Catherine Sinclair Monument

Discover Catherine Sinclair Monument in Edinburgh, Scotland: A rare memorial paying homage to an altruistic woman from the 19th-century.

Bow of HMS Vindictive

Discover Bow of HMS Vindictive in Oostende, Belgium: A piece of the front end of a British cruiser that was used as a block ship in World War I.

Håverud Aqueduct

Discover Håverud Aqueduct in Håverud, Sweden: A railway, a waterway, and a roadway all in one, suspended over a rushing river.

Wayside Inn

Discover Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts: The oldest continuously-operated inn in the United States, once owned by Henry Ford.

Kearsney Abbey and Russell Gardens

Discover Kearsney Abbey and Russell Gardens in Temple Ewell, England: Two beautiful Victorian-era parks replete with ornamental waterfalls and lakes.

Bab Agnaou

Discover Bab Agnaou in Marrakesh, Morocco: One of the two original gateways into the Kasbah, this gateway is a nesting site for storks.

Dechmont UFO Monument and Trail

Discover Dechmont UFO Monument and Trail in Deans, Scotland: A memorial commemorating the only Scottish police investigation into an extraterrestrial incident.

Shreveport Municipal Auditorium

Discover Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana: The art deco colossus played a role in war and medicine aside from hosting the iconic Louisiana Hayride.

Church of Agios Sostis

Discover Church of Agios Sostis in Athens, Greece: This Byzantine Church was moved from Paris to Athens block by block.

Statue of Abraham Lincoln at Lytle Park

Discover Statue of Abraham Lincoln at Lytle Park in Cincinnati, Ohio: One of the few beardless depictions of Lincoln, George Grey Barnard's 1917 was denounced by many—including Lincoln's own son.

‘The Boules Player’

Discover 'The Boules Player' in Leeds, England: This sculpture celebrates a boules tournament and the link between Leeds and its twin city Lille.

Mulberry Harbour Wreck

Discover Mulberry Harbour Wreck in Hayling Island, England: This concrete monster of a wreck lies in the mouth of Langstone Harbour as a monument to the incredible history of D-Day.

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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

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