www.atlasobscura.com Open in urlscan Pro
2606:4700:20::ac43:4a99  Public Scan

Form analysis
4 forms found in the DOM

GET /search

<form autocomplete="off" class="js-search-form-to-submit js-hero-search" action="/search" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="get">
  <div>
    <div class="search-bar hero-search-input"> <input class="js-search-suggest-trigger-input" type="search" name="q" placeholder="Search destinations and more…" aria-label="Search destinations and more…"> <button aria-label="Search" name="button"
        type="submit" class="btn btn-secondary btn-rounded" disabled=""><svg fill="white" width="20px" style="margin-top: -3px;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
          viewBox="0 0 512 512"><!--! Font Awesome Pro 6.2.1 by @fontawesome - https://fontawesome.com License - https://fontawesome.com/license (Commercial License) Copyright 2022 Fonticons, Inc. -->
          <path
            d="M507.3 484.7l-141.5-141.5C397 306.8 415.1 259.7 415.1 208c0-114.9-93.13-208-208-208S-.0002 93.13-.0002 208S93.12 416 207.1 416c51.68 0 98.85-18.96 135.2-50.15l141.5 141.5C487.8 510.4 491.9 512 496 512s8.188-1.562 11.31-4.688C513.6 501.1 513.6 490.9 507.3 484.7zM208 384C110.1 384 32 305 32 208S110.1 32 208 32S384 110.1 384 208S305 384 208 384z" "=""></path></svg></button>        <input type="
            hidden" value="" name="lat"> <input type="hidden" value="" name="lng"> </div>
  </div>
</form>

POST /email_lists/signup

<form class="footer-newsletter-form js-email-ask-form js-ath-form-validated" action="/email_lists/signup" accept-charset="UTF-8" data-remote="true" method="post" novalidate="novalidate">
  <input type="hidden" name="source" value="footer-email-ask" autocomplete="off">
  <input type="hidden" name="subscribe_general" value="true" autocomplete="off">
  <div class="FormGroup FormGroup--inline">
    <div class="FormGroup__validated-field-wrap">
      <input type="email" name="email" class="FormGroup__text-input js-footer-email-ask-removable" required="required" placeholder="Enter your email" aria-label="Email" aria-required="true">
      <div class="FormGroup__feedback-ui">
        <div class="FormGroup__validate-message"></div>
        <div class="FormGroup__underliner"></div>
      </div>
      <div id="js-footer-email-ask-thanks" class="subscribe-thanks detail">Thanks for subscribing!
        <a target="_parent" data-category="View All Newsletters Link" data-action="Click" data-label="Footer" class="js-view-newsletters" href="/newsletters">View all newsletters »</a>
      </div>
    </div>
    <input type="submit" name="commit" value="Submit" class="o-primary-btn FormGroup__inline-submit js-footer-email-ask-removable" data-disable-with="Submit">
  </div>
</form>

POST /email_lists/signup

<form class="js-email-roadblock-form js-email-ask-form contest-signup-ui" id="contest-form" action="/email_lists/signup" accept-charset="UTF-8" data-remote="true" method="post" novalidate="novalidate">
  <input type="hidden" name="subscribe_general" value="true">
  <input id="contest-source" type="hidden" name="source" value="Email Ask (Red, Free Book)">
  <input type="hidden" name="merge_vars[MMERGE15]" id="merge_vars_MMERGE15" value="1" autocomplete="off">
  <input type="hidden" name="merge_vars[MMERGE21]" id="merge_vars_MMERGE21" value="Book Contest - July 2023" autocomplete="off">
  <h4 id="book-contest-title" class="title-lg baseline-standard baseline-mobile animate-swing-up">Want a Free Book?</h4>
  <div class="animate-text-reveal">
    <div class="subtitle-lg baseline-standard baseline-mobile">Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book, <em>Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders</em>.</div>
    <fieldset>
      <div class="cta-lg validate-message"></div>
      <div class="submit-inline baseline-standard baseline-mobile">
        <input type="email" name="email" class="detail-md" required="required" placeholder="Enter your email address" aria-label="email" aria-required="true">
        <button type="submit" data-sitekey="6LeCJy0UAAAAAO5grI_UrlSR1oz9AceexUbkcHgC" data-badge="bottomright" data-callback="submitCaptchadContestForm" class="g-recaptcha btn btn-default js-contest-submit-btn"
          data-size="invisible">Subscribe</button>
      </div>
    </fieldset>
    <a href="javascript:void(0)" class="contest-dismiss-link cta-lg" data-dismiss="modal">No Thanks</a>
    <a href="/" class="contest-take-me-home-link cta-lg" data-dismiss="modal">Visit AtlasObscura.com</a>
  </div>
</form>

POST /email_lists/signup

<form class="js-email-roadblock-form js-email-ask-form" action="/email_lists/signup" accept-charset="UTF-8" data-remote="true" method="post" novalidate="novalidate">
  <input type="hidden" name="subscribe_general" value="true">
  <input type="hidden" name="source" value="email-roadblock-topographic-modal">
  <h4 class="title-lg modal-title-roadblock">Add Some Wonder to Your Inbox</h4>
  <div class="subtitle-md">Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you.</div>
  <div id="js-email-roadblock-topographic-modal-error"></div>
  <fieldset class="modal-fieldset">
    <div class="cta-lg validate-message"></div>
    <div class="email-submit-group-m">
      <input type="email" name="email" class="col-md-12" required="required" placeholder="your email" aria-label="Email">
      <button name="button" type="submit" class="btn btn-stretch btn-submit">
        <i class="icon-envelope"></i><span class="hidden-sm hidden-xs">Subscribe</span>
      </button>
    </div>
  </fieldset>
  <footer class="roadblock-footer">
    <a href="" class="roadblock-dismiss-link cta-lg" data-dismiss="modal">No Thanks</a>
  </footer>
</form>

Text Content

 * Trips
    * Upcoming Trips
    * All Trips Trips Blog
   
   Get the Atlas Obscura book
   Shop Now »
   
   UPCOMING TRIPS
   
   View All Trips »
   
   
   SWIM WITH THE SINGING WHALES OF TONGA
   
   
   TASTE OF GREECE: CULINARY TRADITIONS & ANCIENT RUINS
   
   
   THE KINGDOMS OF ANDALUSIA: SECRET GARDENS AND HAUNTED PALACES
   
   
   TURKMENISTAN AND THE GATES OF HELL

 * Experiences
   
   UPCOMING EXPERIENCES
   
   View All Experiences »
   Members only
   
   
   MONSTER OF THE MONTH W/ COLIN DICKEY: FREEMASONS
   
   Members only
   
   
   ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERIES
   
   Members only
   
   
   ANTIQUES AND THEIR AFTERLIVES AT THE ARMOUR-STINER OCTAGON HOUSE
   
   Members only
   
   
   MONSTER OF THE MONTH W/ COLIN DICKEY: SPRING-HEELED JACK
   
   Members only
   
   
   ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERIES

 * Courses
   
   UPCOMING COURSES
   
   View All Courses »
   
   
   MAKING SCENTS: EXPERIMENTAL PERFUMERY WITH SASKIA WILSON-BROWN
   
   
   
   
   THE TRUTH ABOUT SHARKS WITH MELISSA CRISTINA MÁRQUEZ
   
   
   
   
   DESIGNING SOFT CIRCUITS & E-TEXTILES WITH LINH MY TRUONG
   
   
   
   
   GET REAL: DEFINING REALITY WITH ASHLEY CHRISTINE
   
   
   
   
   TREE COMMUNICATION WITH ANNIE NOVAK

 * Places
    * Top Destinations
    * Latest Places
    * Most Popular Places
    * Random Place
    * Lists
    * Itineraries
   
    * --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      
      Add a Place
      
      --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
    * Download the App
   
   LATEST PLACES
   
   View All Places »
   Madrid, Spain
   
   
   MONUMENT TO CRISTINA 'LA VENENO' ORTIZ
   
   40.4297, -3.7246
   London, England
   
   
   'PETER PAN' GRAVEMARKERS
   
   51.5082, -0.1869
   Zamora, Spain
   
   
   BARANDALES STATUE
   
   41.5034, -5.7489
   Washington, D.C.
   
   
   ALMA THOMAS HOUSE
   
   38.9106, -77.0349
   
   TOP DESTINATIONS
   
   View All Destinations »
   
   COUNTRIES
   
    * Australia
    * Canada
    * China
    * France
    * Germany
    * India
    * Italy
    * Japan
   
   CITIES
   
    * Amsterdam
    * Barcelona
    * Beijing
    * Berlin
    * Boston
    * Budapest
    * Chicago
    * London
    * Los Angeles
    * Mexico City
    * Montreal
    * Moscow
    * New Orleans
    * New York City
    * Paris
    * Philadelphia
    * Rome
    * San Francisco
    * Seattle
    * Stockholm
    * Tokyo
    * Toronto
    * Vienna
    * Washington, D.C.

 * Foods
   
   LATEST PLACES TO EAT & DRINK
   
   View All Places to Eat »
   
   
   JAMAICAWAY RESTAURANT AND CATERING
   
   
   
   
   HONEYTREE MEADERY
   
   
   
   
   TAILOR
   
   
   
   
   SANTA'S PUB
   
   
   
   
   BOLTON'S SPICY CHICKEN & FISH

 * Stories
    * Recent Stories
    * All Stories
    * Puzzles
    * Video
    * Podcast
   
   MOST RECENT STORIES
   
   View All Stories »
   
   
   THE REMOTE MEXICAN RESTAURANT REVIVING JALISCO'S FORGOTTEN CUISINE
   
   2 days ago
   
   
   THERE’S AN ENTIRE SOLAR SYSTEM HIDING IN SWEDEN
   
   2 days ago
   
   
   6 STORIES THAT WILL MAKE YOU SCREAM—FOR ICE CREAM
   
   2 days ago
   
   
   HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR DRAGON
   
   3 days ago
 * Newsletters
 * Sign In Join

 * Explore Newsletters
 * Sign In
   
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   Join
 * Places near me Random place
   Places near me Random place
   Popular Destinations
   Paris London New York Berlin Rome Los Angeles


Places near me Random place



THE LITTLE-KNOWN PASSPORT THAT PROTECTED 450,000 REFUGEES


BETWEEN 1922 AND 1938, THE “NANSEN PASSPORT” ALLOWED STATELESS PEOPLE TO MAKE A
NEW LIFE.

by Cara Giaimo February 7, 2017

The Little-Known Passport That Protected 450,000 Refugees


Copy Link Facebook Twitter Reddit Flipboard Pocket
A sample Nansen Passport issued by France, with renewal stamps. World Digital
Library/Public Domain

On January 27, President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order that,
among other provisions, barred all refugees from entering the United States for
120 days (and banned Syrian refugees indefinitely). As the ban, currently stayed
by order of a federal judge, makes its way up through the U.S. court system,
refugees all over the world watch closely, their futures hanging in the
balance. 


VIDEO FROM ATLAS OBSCURA
0:00 / 4:51






The current refugee crisis is the largest the world has ever seen—but it’s far
from unprecedented. Back in the 1920s, civil war in Russia and genocide in the
Ottoman Empire left millions of families stateless, seeking asylum in countries
already stretched thin by the ravages of war. Charged with preventing
catastrophe, an idealistic explorer named Fridtjof Nansen changed hundreds of
thousands of lives with a piece of paper: the Nansen Passport. Although it
stopped short of granting citizenship, the Nansen Passport allowed its holders
to cross borders to find work, and protected them from deportation. Some
experts are calling for a similar solution today.

ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES
Learn with Us!
Check out our lineup of courses taught by world-class experts from around the
world. See Courses


Born in Norway in 1861, Nansen was an unlikely diplomat. A zoologist by
training, he made a name for himself as a polar explorer—in 1888, he led the
first team to cross Greenland by foot, and four years later, he traversed the
Arctic Ocean by purposefully freezing his ship into an ice floe. When he aged
out of constant adventuring, Nansen brokered his considerable fame into a
political career, initially representing Norway in disputes with Sweden, and
later serving as the country’s ambassador to Britain.

A young Fridtjof Nansen, dressed for the weather. Henry Van der Weyde/Public
Domain

At the end of World War I, Nansen threw himself into existing efforts to create
an international peacemaking body—what would eventually become the Paris Peace
Conference, and then the League of Nations. In 1920, the League put Nansen in
charge of a particularly tricky post-war problem: figuring out what to do with
those displaced by conflict.

As the new High Commissioner for the Repatriation of Prisoners-of-War, Nansen
negotiated for the return of hundreds of thousands of POWs held in Germany and
Siberia. While working to secure their release, Nansen’s eyes were opened to
another horror of war. “Never in my life have I been brought into touch with so
formidable an amount of suffering,” he told the League in November of 1920,
urging his fellow members to “prevent for evermore” the type of conflict that
originally led to it.

Nansen spends time with Armenian orphans in Gyumri. Nasjonalbiblioteket/Public
Domain

But those gears were already in motion, and another displacement crisis loomed.
In December of 1921, it hit: Vladimir Lenin, whose Bolshevik army had shocked
the world by winning the Russian Civil War, revoked citizenship from Russian
expatriates who had fled the country during the conflict. This left some 800,000
people stateless, dispersed throughout Eastern Europe. “The legal status of
these people was vague and the majority of them were without means of
subsistence,” wrote Fosse and Fox. “It was considered unacceptable that in the
20th century there should be such a huge number of men, women and children
living in Europe unprotected by any system recognized by international law.”



Once again, the League of Nations put Nansen on the case, appointing him High
Commissioner for Russian Refugees. He quickly began breaking down the problem.
Neighboring countries, especially those who were dealing with their own
conflicts, balked at the prospect of taking in tens of thousands of poor,
stateless people. But if the refugees were sent back to now-Soviet Russia, they
could face political persecution, imprisonment, and even execution. 

Nansen’s instincts initially leaned toward repatriation, figuring that states
should be made to accept their own citizens. But when he began investigating the
problem personally, his opinion shifted. After one small group of refugees was
sent back to the U.S.S.R. from Bulgaria, many were shot by Soviet authorities.

This did not stop Bulgaria: fearing Communism, they began forcibly deporting
people, beginning with a group of 250, which they shipped off over the Black Sea
in a small boat. When the ship reached the U.S.S.R., it was not allowed to land,
so the refugees turned towards Turkey, which also rebuffed them. Panicked, many
began leaping into the sea. Everywhere he went, Nansen was met by stories like
this—of frightened countries, who feared foreign influence and their own
dwindling employment, and of even more frightened refugees, who just wanted
someplace to live.

Armenian refugees after World War I. American Committee for Relief in the Near
East/Public Domain

At first, Nansen brokered individual arrangements. He sent some groups to
Czechoslovakia and the United States, ensured that refugee camps had clothing
and provisions, and made universities in those countries that belonged to the
League of Nations promise to educate Russian students. But the problem
outstripped this pace of action. What refugees really needed was a way to make
lives for themselves—to travel, so as to find opportunity, and to work, so as to
establish themselves in their new homes. They needed some kind of identity
document. 

In March of 1922, at the Council of the League of Nations, Nansen proposed such
a document: a “Nansen Passport,” which would allow refugees to travel and
protect them from deportation. The passport was simple—it featured the holder’s
identity, nationality, and race—but it served its purpose well. Its holder could
move between countries to find work or family members, and they could not be
deported. “This was the first time that stateless people had any sort of legal
identity,” wrote Annemarie Sammartino in The Impossible Border: Germany and the
East, 1914-1922.

A Nansen Passport, displayed on the wall at Oslo’s City Hall. Ivan Vasilev/CC0

This solution was by no means perfect. Unlike a regular passport, the Nansen
Passport did not confer upon its holder the rights of citizenship—for example,
it didn’t guarantee the right of return to the country that issued it. But as it
slowly gained credence, it became more and more helpful to those who held it. By
1923, 39 governments recognized it. Two decades later, that number was up to 52,
and the passports were issued to Armenian, Assyrian, and Turkish refugees as
well. Sales of “Nansen stamps,” required annually to renew the passport, paid
into refugee relief funds.



Nansen died in 1930, of an influenza-induced heart attack after going skiing
against his doctor’s wishes. Immediately afterwards, the League of Nations set
up the Nansen International Office for Refugees, which continued his work until
1938, when it was absorbed into a larger committee. That same year, the Office
received the Nobel Peace Prize. By then, they had provided Nansen passports to
about 450,000 stateless people, including writer Vladimir Nabokov, composer Igor
Stravinksy, and ballerina Anna Pavlova. “There is no doubt that by and large,
the Nansen certificate is the greatest thing that has happened for the
individual refugee,” wrote journalist Dorothy Thompson, also in 1938. “It
returned his lost identity.”

A Germany-issued Nansen Passport, from 1932. Huddyhuddy/CC BY-SA 3.0

Today, global conflict, human rights abuses, and climate change have created
tens of millions of refugees worldwide. Although Nansen’s legacy lives on in the
form of the United Nations Refugee Agency, and in the Refugee Travel Documents
currently issued in 145 countries, some experts think these provisions are not
enough. “Only a rapid effort to revamp global refugee laws will permit a
peaceful and managed transition from chaos — and the xenophobia and violence it
can generate — to a semblance of world order,” wrote Michael Soussan, a former
UN humanitarian worker, in Pacifc Standard in late 2015. “Refugees need and
deserve real passports … The world body must live up to the challenge.”

Read next


A MASSIVE SYRUP SPILL GUMS UP A VERMONT HIGHWAY

What a waffle mess.
refugeeswwiobjects of intriguehistory
Want to see fewer ads?
Become a Member.


MOST READ STORIES

1
railroads


MEET THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP VINTAGE RAIL CARS ROLLING ACROSS AMERICA

About two dozen classic carriages around the country offer time travel by train.
Justin Franz
2
maps


THE MYSTERIOUS DODECAHEDRONS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

The first of many of these puzzling objects was unearthed almost three centuries
ago, and we still don't know what they were for.
Frank Jacobs, Big Think
3
marine


SEA CUCUMBER CRIME IS A THING, AND THIS IS WHERE IT’S HAPPENING

A "seafood mafia" is plying the waters between India and Sri Lanka to satisfy
China's appetite for an increasingly rare delicacy.
Frank Jacobs, Big Think
4
balkan


NOVAK DJOKOVIC AND THE POWER OF A BOSNIAN PYRAMID

The "miraculous energy" at this controversial site in Visoko has attracted many
believers, including the tennis great.
Daniel Schreiber
5
art


10 REASONS TO VISIT ASHEVILLE DURING THE WEEK

Savoring the city’s cultural and culinary offerings with more room to explore.
Sponsored by Explore Asheville
View More Stories
Want to see fewer ads?
Become a Member.




USING AN AD BLOCKER?

We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the world’s hidden
wonders. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a
month.

Continue Using Ad-Block Support Us
Keep Exploring
objects of intrigue


PODCAST: FAIRY CASTLE

A famous 1920s actress left the world a lasting piece of art: a remarkable
miniature home.
The Podcast Team June 5, 2023
objects of intrigue


MEET THE ORNERY GRANDDADDY OF ORLANDO'S FAMED SWANS

Billy was a local celebrity in the early 1900s. And he might have been a
murderer.
April White April 18, 2023
paintings


A HIDDEN CARAVAGGIO MASTERPIECE, AN INHERITANCE FEUD, AND A ROMAN VILLA UP FOR
SALE

The future of a mysterious painting by the famed 17th-century "rebel artist"
hangs in the balance.
Monika Schmitter April 21, 2023
objects of intrigue


EUROPE’S OLDEST MAP SHOWS TINY BRONZE AGE KINGDOM

Discovered in 1900, the Saint-Bélec slab languished unrecognized in a castle
basement for over a century.
Frank Jacobs, Big Think March 17, 2023
Video • Object of Intrigue


A FORMER CIA CHIEF OF DISGUISE SHOWS OFF A FIVE-SECOND MASK

3:59
Video • Wonder From Home


SHOW & TELL WITH A MASTER MAGIC AUCTIONEER

10:02
Video • Object of Intrigue


THE FIRST METEORITE TO CRASH INTO A CAR

4:06
Video • Object of Intrigue


THE VALUE OF THE LARGEST EGG IN THE WORLD

3:11
Video • Wonder From Home


SHOW & TELL WITH THE GENIUS BEHIND AMERICA’S BEST ROADSIDE ATTRACTION

11:40
Video • Object of Intrigue


THE CIA'S FAKE SCROTUM THAT HID A RADIO

3:32
Video • Wonder From Home


SHOW & TELL: THE MAGIC OF IMPERFECT OBJECTS WITH JESSICA ORECK

9:58
Video


SEE THE MYSTERIOUS HORNED HELMET OF HENRY VIII

4:00
Video • AO Docs


HAWAIʻI’S NATIVE-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER ARCHIVE

3:35
Sponsored by Olukai
Video • AO Docs


'DISCOVERING' MEXICO'S MONARCH BUTTERFLY MIGRATION

6:46
Video • Object of Intrigue


THE REAL STORY BEHIND GEORGE WASHINGTON'S DENTURES

3:30
Video • Object of Intrigue


BEHOLD, THE VAMPIRE-KILLING KIT

4:19
Video


ALL ROADS LEAD TO TEXAS: SOUNDS OF THE LONESTAR STATE

0:00
Sponsored by Travel Texas
Video • Let Your Florida Adventure Begin


ATLAS OBSCURA TRIES: TARPON FISHING

0:00
Sponsored by VISIT FLORIDA


Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
From Around the Web
by Taboolaby Taboola
Sponsored LinksSponsored Links
Promoted LinksPromoted Links
VisionaryProfit

Market Wizard Who Predicted 2022 Crash Shares Surprising New
ForecastVisionaryProfit


Undo
CanadaIMS

Can I Immigrate to Canada?CanadaIMSClick Here


Undo
My Astrology

Your 2023 Horoscope Is So Accurate It Will Give You GoosebumpsMy AstrologyRead
More


Undo
VitaeLab

Tämä ravintolisä tukee tutkitusti lihasten ja nivelten hyvinvointiaVitaeLab


Undo
easyraha.fi

Löysin viimein näppärän palvelun yhdistelyyneasyraha.fiKokeile


Undo
Sähköauto senioreille | Haku Mainoksia

Kaikki uusi pieni sähköauto senioreille - hinta vuonna 2023 saattaa
yllättääSähköauto senioreille | Haku Mainoksia


Undo
Turva- ja valvontakamerat | Haku Mainoksia

Myymättä jääneet kodin valvontakamerat alueella Uusimaa: Hinnat voivat olla
edullisempia kuin luuletTurva- ja valvontakamerat | Haku MainoksiaHae nyt


Undo
Oh My Car!

Autovakuutus liian kallis? tässä ovat markkinoiden parhaat tarjouksetOh My Car!


Undo
Electric Bikes | Search ads

They Laughed Until They Saw the Price of Electric BikesElectric Bikes | Search
adsBook Now


Undo
well-being-review DietDrops

This mineral will melt your belly fat fastwell-being-review DietDrops


Undo







SEE FEWER ADS


BECOME AN ATLAS OBSCURA MEMBER AND EXPERIENCE FAR FEWER ADS AND NO POP-UPS.

Learn More

GET OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Thanks for subscribing! View all newsletters »

FOLLOW US

 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

GET THE APP

Download the App


PLACES

 * All Places
 * Latest Places
 * Most Popular
 * Places to Eat
 * Random
 * Nearby
 * Add a Place


EDITORIAL

 * Stories
 * Food & Drink
 * Itineraries
 * Lists
 * Puzzles
 * Video
 * Podcast
 * Newsletters


TRIPS

 * All Trips
 * Trips Blog
 * Art & Culture Trips
 * Food Trips
 * Hidden City Trips
 * History Trips
 * Wildlife & Nature Trips
 * FAQ


EXPERIENCES

 * Experiences
 * Online Courses
 * Online Experience FAQ
 * Online Course FAQ


COMMUNITY

 * Membership
 * Feedback & Ideas
 * Community Guidelines
 * Product Blog
 * Unique Gifts
 * Work With Us


COMPANY

 * About
 * Contact Us
 * FAQ
 * Advertise With Us
 * Advertising Guidelines
 * Press
 * Privacy Policy
 * Cookie Policy
 * Terms of Use


© 2023 Atlas Obscura. All rights reserved.
Questions or Feedback? Contact Us





Thanks for sharing!

Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders.

Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders.

Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook

WANT A FREE BOOK?

Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book,
Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders.

Subscribe
No Thanks Visit AtlasObscura.com



STAY IN TOUCH!

Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day.
Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Follow Us on Instagram No Thanks Visit
AtlasObscura.com
No purchase necessary. Winner will be selected at random on 08/01/2023. Offer
available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Offer subject to change
without notice. See contest rules for full details.

ADD SOME WONDER TO YOUR INBOX

Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to
you.


Subscribe
No Thanks

WE'D LIKE YOU TO LIKE US

Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook
feed.

No Thanks



aoc-full-screen aoc-heart-solid aoc-compass aoc-flipboard aoc-globe aoc-pocket
aoc-share aoc-cancel aoc-video aoc-building aoc-clock aoc-clipboard aoc-help
aoc-arrow-right aoc-arrow-left aoc-ticket aoc-place-entry aoc-facebook
aoc-instagram aoc-reddit aoc-rss aoc-twitter aoc-accommodation
aoc-activity-level aoc-add-a-photo aoc-add-box aoc-add-shape aoc-arrow-forward
aoc-been-here aoc-chat-bubbles aoc-close aoc-expand-more aoc-expand-less
aoc-forum-flag aoc-group-size aoc-heart-outline aoc-heart-solid aoc-home
aoc-important aoc-knife-fork aoc-library-books aoc-link aoc-list-circle-bullets
aoc-list aoc-location-add aoc-location aoc-mail aoc-map aoc-menu
aoc-more-horizontal aoc-my-location aoc-near-me aoc-notifications-alert
aoc-notifications-mentions aoc-notifications-muted aoc-notifications-tracking
aoc-open-in-new aoc-pencil aoc-person aoc-pinned aoc-plane-takeoff aoc-plane
passport-plane aoc-print aoc-reply aoc-search aoc-shuffle aoc-star aoc-subject
aoc-trip-style aoc-unpinned aoc-send aoc-phone aoc-apps aoc-lock aoc-verified



PRIVACY PREFERENCE CENTER

When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your
browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you,
your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you
expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can
give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to
privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the
different category headings to find out more and change our default settings.
However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site
and the services we are able to offer.
More information
Allow All


MANAGE CONSENT PREFERENCES

STRICTLY NECESSARY COOKIES

Always Active

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched
off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you
which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy
preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block
or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

PERFORMANCE COOKIES

Performance Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and
improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the
most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All
information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you
do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and
will not be able to monitor its performance.

FUNCTIONAL COOKIES

Functional Cookies

These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and
personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose
services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some
or all of these services may not function properly.

TARGETING COOKIES

Targeting Cookies

These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may
be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you
relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal
information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet
device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted
advertising.

Back Button


PERFORMANCE COOKIES



Vendor Search Search Icon
Filter Icon

Clear
checkbox label label
Apply Cancel
Consent Leg.Interest
checkbox label label
checkbox label label
checkbox label label

Reject All Confirm My Choices


This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance
and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site
with our social media, advertising and analytics partners.View Cookie Policy

Reject Cookies Accept Cookies
Manage Preferences