What to visit in Romania for lovers of terrifying places. Scary places in Romania

If you think that Romania is vampires hiding in dark castles and waiting for tourists, then this is not at all the case. And although the Transylvanian vampires, according to legend, do look menacing, Romania is much more than just Dracula and his Brukenthal palace. There are many medieval castles and gorgeous alpine landscapes for skiing in winter and hiking in summer. Romania has quaint villages and vibrant churches that are painted with a unique style. Millions of birds nest in the Danube Delta, some of which are very rare. I present to your attention an overview of the main attractions of Romania.

Churches of Maramures

When the foreign rulers of Maramures refused to allow people to build long-lasting stone churches, they decided to build them from timber. During the 200 year period, about 300 wooden churches were built, about 100 of which have survived to this day. These Gothic structures are predominantly Orthodox, but there are several Greek Catholic shrines. The churches, with tall slender bell towers, reflect high craftsmanship and knowledge of carpentry. These are both simple and graceful sights of Romania. Hand-painted murals adorn the interior of Maramures's many stave churches.

Vaser Valley

In Romania, you will have a unique chance to go on a tour of the Carpathian forests on a steam train. The local forestry railway, which runs along the Vaser River valley, has been operating since 1932, when it was used to deliver wood from sawmills. Today it is used to transport tourists who love the charm of the old narrow gauge trains that travel along pretty forest landscapes. The train stops at Patina, where you will have two hours for a walk in the forest and a picnic surrounded by picturesque nature.

Danube Delta

If you are a nature lover then definitely visit the Danube Delta. It is the largest protected River Delta in Europe, most of which is in Romania. Be sure to take your binoculars with you as this is a birdwatcher's paradise. Here you can observe many rare species of birds that gather for the winter. The canals overgrown with reeds are the ideal environment for 300 bird species. There is also a wide variety of animals, including wild cats, wolves and even wild boars. The Danube Delta is one of the most outstanding natural attractions in Romania.

Poiana Brasov

When you get tired of looking for vampires, take a look at Poiana Brasov and visit this popular ski resort in Romania. This place attracts skiers from all over Europe. The ski resort in the Carpathians has seven slopes with a total length of 25 km for athletes with varying degrees of training. Alpine skiing, figure skating and snowboarding competitions are constantly held here. After an active day on the slopes, indulge in a traditional warmed wine or sip a local herb drink.

Corvin Castle

Corvin Castle is a medieval Gothic structure considered to be the greatest medieval castle in Romania. It is also known as Hunyad Castle in honor of the high-ranking ruler who built it. Corvinus is a fairytale castle, to which a wooden bridge with a statue of St. John of Nepomuk, the patron saint of bridges, leads. The symbol of the 15th century castle is the crow wearing a gold ring. While visiting this Romanian landmark, pay attention to the bear pit and dungeon where people were brutally tortured. This is one of the perfectly preserved European castles that are definitely worth a visit.

Sucevitsa monastery

Sucevitsa Monastery has a unique architectural style. One way or another, Gothic and Byzantine elements are mixed here, plus the Moldovan style of painting churches. All this is reflected in a single impressive building as one of the most recognizable landmarks in Romania. The front of the monastery is cylindrical and covered on top with a conical roof, while the rear is rectangular with a small tower. Inside you will find painted murals from the early 1600s and tombs embroidered with silver thread. The monastery is located in northeastern Romania and is considered one of the most important painted churches in the country.

Salina Turda

Articles in this place:

The Radovan Forest, located in Dolj County, is crossed by a road with frequent accidents, although the section of the road is straight.

According to local residents, there is only one explanation: before the drivers appears "Radovan's bride", the ghost of a young woman dressed in a wedding dress, terrorizing those who walk through the forest at night.

This legend has several options. Some say it is the ghost of a girl who came from Moldova to earn money for her family, but hanged herself in Radovan's forest, believing she was pregnant, which was a shame at the time.

As a suicide, she was not buried according to Christian tradition, and her poor relatives could not take care of the grave, so her soul did not find peace.

Other locals say that the ghost of a girl appears in the Radovan forest, whose fiancé died just before the wedding. She was waiting for him dressed in a wedding dress, and the news of his death made her jump into the well, but even after death she did not stop looking for her beloved. This is why the bride only appears in front of the cars of unmarried guys.

National road 7: tragedies provoked by the dead bride

Another bride looking for her fiancé, and car accidents are the focus of a legend related to national road 7. Here, near Gaesht in Dambovica, a girl died on her wedding day several decades ago. The fault was the accident in which her fiancé died. Since then, there have been many accidents in this area, especially near the cross erected by the family in memory of the young bride.

Within just two years, 12 unmarried men died near this cross, which makes local residents think about the curse of the bride, who for some unknown reason could not leave this world and leave with the groom.

Longgang Hill: Ghosts of Soldiers

Located between the villages of Sarka and Longgang in Yasi County, Longgang Hill is famous for its mysterious phantoms that appear before travelers. Locals tell stories about this zone, not always pleasant legends about ghosts that chased them for several kilometers, hovering next to them above the road.

It seems that in this zone, soldiers who died during the First World War were buried in a mass grave. Since they died without communion and a candle and were buried without a religious ceremony, their souls did not find rest, so they demand that travelers do for them what is supposed to be done, that is, order a requiem.

Hoya Bachu Forest - Transylvania's Bermuda Triangle

The forest near the city of Cluj-Napoca has long been known for the mysterious events that take place here, and is even considered a gateway to another dimension. Dubbed the "Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania", the forest is one of the world's most active regions in terms of paranormal activity.

Legends arose after a shepherd disappeared in the forest along with his flock, and no one was able to find either him or even a part of the sheep. This was only the first mysterious disappearance in the Bachu forest. Now, locals and tourists alike are avoiding this area, which only attracts thrill seekers.

Hoya-Bachu forest, located not far from the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca, rightfully bears the title of one of the most mysterious places in Europe. It is called the "Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania".

This analogy suggests itself: here people disappear without a trace, encounters with UFOs are not uncommon ... Residents of nearby villages prefer not to go to Hoya-Bacha, so as not to incur the wrath of powerful forces that, in their opinion, live in the forest.

The forest was changing before our eyes ...

The main tourist attraction in Transylvania is Bran Castle, built in the 14th century. It was once owned by the legendary Vlad Tepes, better known to us as Count Dracula.

However, in recent years, more and more tourists tend to visit not only and not so much Dracula's castle, but the surrounding Hoya-Bachu forest, in which paranormal phenomena have become almost commonplace.

But a little over 100 years ago it was a forest like a forest. Local residents hunted there, picked mushrooms and berries. A well-worn path ran through the forest, along which travelers were not afraid to travel even at night. Now this road is practically overgrown, and only extreme people will risk going to Hoya-Bacha at night. Or obsessed researchers of the paranormal. Which, however, are enough.

At the beginning of the last century, the forest (then it was still called simply Hoya) began to change literally before our eyes. Straight tree trunks gradually bent at monstrous angles. The soil was overgrown with thick moss. The animals gradually disappeared from the forest, and behind them almost all the birds. Local residents whispered that they saw Vlad Tepes in Hoya, who at one time loved to hunt in these places. It was rumored that the devil himself took a liking to the forest thicket.

The Lost Shepherd

The Hoya Forest began to justify its sinister reputation right after the end of the First World War. In one of the local villages there lived a shepherd nicknamed Bachu (translated from Romanian - "leader", "leader"). The local inhabitants were engaged in cattle breeding, and therefore Bachu, who raised and sold sheep in hundreds, was respected. One June day, a shepherd drove a flock of 200 heads to the fair in the town of Cluj-Napoca. His path ran through the forest. Bachu went there early in the morning and ... disappeared without a trace.

When at the appointed time he did not appear at the fair, the merchants, who were waiting for the flock, for which they had already paid a deposit, were alarmed. Residents of the city and surrounding villages (several thousand people took part in the search) literally combed the forest, an area of \u200b\u200b35 hectares, literally by a meter. But no traces of either the shepherd or the sheep were found.

There were no robbers in these places for a long time, but even if they appeared from somewhere and killed Bacha, hiding his body, it is unrealistic to take such a large flock away so that it would not be noticed in the surrounding villages. The respected person and the sheep disappeared without a trace. And the forest has since become known as Hoya-Bachu.

Time loop

The forest, like a predator that tasted the taste of human blood, demanded more and more victims. Several more people have gone missing in Hoya-Bachu over the years. Their bodies have not been found either. But these tragedies can be attributed to an accident, an attack by wild animals, that is, at least somehow explain. Other stories smack of outright devilry.

For example, here are two cases that happened after the Second World War. The young teacher, who did not believe in God or in the devil, went to Hoya-Bacha for mushrooms. Soon, local residents found her sitting on the edge of the forest.

In 1989, the Screaming Forest, located in Kent near the village of Pluckley, got into the Guinness Book of Records. There was the largest number of ghosts in the UK - at least 12 “apparitions” per year.

The unhappy woman completely lost her memory - she did not even remember her name. And, of course, she could not answer the question of what happened to her in the forest. Another time, a five-year-old girl in pursuit of a beautiful butterfly ran into the forest and disappeared. A search was organized, but the baby was never found. Only five years later, the missing girl - in the same clothes and absolutely unchanged in appearance - came out of the forest, holding the caught butterfly by its wings.

The baby was never able to tell where she had disappeared: for her, from the moment she entered the thicket, it took only a few minutes.

Educated people, like the teacher mentioned above, despise superstition. Therefore, although the bulk of the local residents avoided hiking in Hoya-Bachu, some still went there for berries and mushrooms. Not all, but some soon fell ill - people complained of skin rashes, migraines, dizziness, and causeless vomiting. Doctors were unable to establish the cause of the ailments in absolutely healthy people. After some time, the patients recovered, but a bad reputation was finally fixed for Hoya-Bacha.

World glory

In the 1960s, the Romanian biologist Alexander Sift became interested in the Hoya-Bachu phenomenon. He became the first scientist to seriously undertake the study of the paranormal zone. For a number of years, Alexander, despite the danger, crossed the forest along and across, spent the night in the thicket, held photo shoots there.

Surprisingly, Hoya-Bachu did not harm him in any way. Alexander Sift noted that in the depths of the forest there is a strange round glade with no vegetation. When comparing soil samples from this glade and with the usual forest one, no difference in composition was found. This means that there are no biological reasons for the disappearance of vegetation within the circular glade.

Alexander Sift noted: UFOs (most often round in shape) can be found anywhere in the forest. But in the area of \u200b\u200bthe "bald" glade, their activity is greatest. When developing the films after night photo sessions, the researcher drew attention to another strange feature. Many photographs show round luminous objects that are not perceived by the naked eye.

By the way, such balls still often appear in pictures taken by digital devices. Scientists cannot give a reasonable explanation for this, but local residents have it. In their opinion, the balls are the souls of the lost people. The fact is that the lands of Transylvania are abundantly watered with blood - this area in the Middle Ages constantly passed from hand to hand. All this, of course, was accompanied by violence. The unfortunate peasants were robbed and ruthlessly killed by local princes, Hungarians, Romanians, and Turks.

... In 1968, the Sift business was continued by the Romanian military engineer Emil Barney. Soon after starting observations, he was able to photograph a UFO over the treetops. Experts have established that we are really talking about some kind of flying object, the nature of which they do not undertake to explain. It is believed to be the clearest and most reliable UFO image taken in Romania.

Portal to another world?

Nowadays, numerous ufologists from different countries of the world - Germany, France, Great Britain, Hungary - come to Hoya-Bachu. However, paranormal activity in these places has slightly decreased in recent years. Not all visitors manage to encounter mystical phenomena.

However, many of them observe glowing balls in the forest (most often - near a “bald” meadow in the depths of the forest). On occasion, researchers hear strange sounds or see flickering shadows and lights. In winter, strange footprints often appear on the snow that do not belong to any creature known on Earth.

In photographs, you can still often see strange silhouettes and glowing balls that are not visible to the naked eye.

The prestigious publications devoted to ufology, as well as the BBC channel, call Hoya-Bacha one of the most interesting paranormal zones on the planet. Even Nicolas Cage came here, intrigued by the programs about the mysterious forest. For several days, the famous Hollywood actor filmed a documentary about Hoya-Bachu, which he now shows to his friends at private parties. Cage is confident that the trees in the forest have changed their shape under the influence of the powerful energy inherent in these places. After this statement by the actor, yoga lovers began to come to Hoya-Bachu. They meditate in the forest and try to draw energy from a mystical source.

In recent years, the inhabitants of the surrounding villages have found their own explanation for the whole devilry that is happening in Hoya-Bachu. They are sure that the "bald" meadow in the thicket is a portal to another world. The disappeared people simply fell there. And luminous balls, strange shadows and UFOs are the inhabitants of a parallel universe who accidentally entered our world.

But there is another version that explains the mysterious phenomena in Hoya-Bachu. Dracula's castle, which was somehow forgotten amid all this hype around the mystical forest, may well influence the surrounding territory with its negative energy and even be a kind of portal connecting our world with parallel worlds.

Andrey Leshukonsky

Romania will forever be associated in the minds of people with mystery and mysticism, and all thanks to Count Dracula Stoker. However, in Romania there are other mysterious places, no less interesting for lovers of mysticism. We suggest you go on a trip to Romania and find out about two of the most famous places.

Witch lake

Not far from Bucharest, in a mysterious forest, there is a lake, which for many centuries has been called nothing less than Wedmino. The lake has several strange features. So, it always has a depth of one and a half meters, regardless of drought or heavy rains. Animals prefer to bypass the lake and do not drink from it, and neither birds nor frogs settle on its shores.

Pregnant women are advised not to approach the lake, as this may cause a miscarriage. The lake attracts sorcerers and witches to perform their sinister rituals, as it is considered the source of the required power. After the sun disappears, mysterious figures can be seen near the lake, performing actions of an undoubtedly occult nature.

In most cases, the sorcerers and witches who perform their rituals here are so focused that they are not distracted by casual witnesses, but still few risk attracting the attention of those communicating with dark forces.

Dracula's castle

Located in the northwest of the country, Dracula's Castle is one of the most remarkable and mysterious places in Romania. Despite the fact that Transylvania has been considered the habitat of vampires for centuries, its popularity, along with the fame that fell on Dracula, brought it the novel by Bram Stoker, written in the late nineteenth century. The image of Dracula created by him became canonical, turning almost into an archetype.

It is now almost impossible to imagine another Dracula, and he himself has become the most striking embodiment of a vampire. Bram Stoker took the name for his character from Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler, who ruled Wallachia, a land in what is now Romania. The reason why Vlad III became a vampire in popular rumor is his extreme, sophisticated cruelty. His nickname Tepes - "Impaler" - fully reflects his favorite method of execution. Another nickname - "Dracul", that is, "dragon", he inherited from his father, along with membership in the knightly order of the Dragon.

It was said about Tepes that he loved to kill for fun, washed his body with blood. The foreign ambassadors, who refused to take off their caps in front of him, regretted it when he ordered the caps to be nailed to their heads. The fight against poverty in the representation of Dracula looked like this: collect all the beggars, feed them, and then burn them. Tepes did not leave his hobby even when he was captured.

He caught birds flying up to the window and put them on stakes made of chips. Among other things, Vlad Tepes changed his faith, which, according to popular beliefs, was another reason that made him a restless bloodsucker after his death. While writing the novel, Bram Stoker studied the available books about the princes of Moldavia and Wallachia, as well as all the information available to him about Vlada Tepes himself.

Stoker indicated his place of residence in a castle in Transylvania, while in reality Vlad the Impaler lived in the capital of Wallachia, Targovishte. The reason for this literary relocation is believed to be that Stoker learned about Bran Castle, in which Tepes often stopped during the hunt. This castle is located in Transylvania, near a deep gorge. All this led to the fact that Bran Castle began to be considered Dracula's castle.

Did you know that Romania is called the most mysterious country in Europe? And not only because here are the castles of the vampires who made her famous throughout the world. Today we will tell you about this amazing and so different country.

In the beginning, it must be said that Romania - a state located in the north of the Balkan Peninsula in the southeastern part of the European continent. From the southeast, it is washed by the Black Sea. The central and northern and western parts of the country are mountains. The Lower Danube Plain is located in the south. The main river artery of Romania is the Danube.

Perhaps, you should start your vacation in Romania from the capital of the country - Bucharest. By the way, translated from Romanian, this word means “joy”. Although, if we recall the recent past of this country associated with the reign of Nicolae Ceausescu, there was little joy for the local population: in 1980, an order was given to demolish almost half of all historical buildings, to destroy monasteries, churches, thousands of houses ... Instead, an artificial hill was erected, with the House of the People on it. This entire building was of such a scale that it even got into the Guinness Book of Records as the second largest administrative building in the world, second only to the Pentagon. It even has eight underground floors, and there are so many halls that it's easy to get lost. Now the building houses the Palace of Parliament, a ticket to visit this place costs about ten euros, for this amount you can also purchase a tour. Several surviving old quarters start from the main city avenue "Calea Victorie", you can safely turn into any lane and look at the beautiful century-old houses, go to antique shops and old restaurants. When you decide to have a bite to eat, go to the wonderful complex "Manucs Inn" - a building that serves as a hotel and restaurant, was built in the nineteenth century, its fully preserved interior surroundings seem to pull anyone who comes here from the present reality. Dishes in the restaurant serve only national cuisine, you will be offered: Romanian cutlets with hominy, they will offer to wash them down with a glass of local homemade wine or a glass of beer.

The history of Romania is long and full of various historical events: there were wars, and a heroic struggle for independence, and the famous "Ceausescu regime". But it will not be about that, but about what makes Romania exactly that mysterious European country? It would seem that this is the very center of progressive Eastern Europe, and while traveling around the country, you come across godforsaken villages, into which the twenty-first did not even think to look. You even wonder how such a miracle could preserve its authenticity today. A good example is the Romanian village of Biertan, located in Transylvania. It was built by Saxon settlers in the 12th century. This village has a fortified church, which was an integral part of all Saxon settlements. Why fortified? After all, it was built with the expectation that it would have to withstand the almost continuous Turkish raids that took place in those days. The defensive systems of such churches had bastions and towers that served as fortifications of three defensive walls. Locals fled to the church at signs of attack to wait out long periods of siege. The feeling that time has stood still takes possession of you here completely and irrevocably: sleepy streets, modestly dressed in a rustic way by a few local residents.

Surprisingly, half of the Romanian population lives in villages, which is why, having driven through such places, you can better understand the traditions of this country, carefully preserved in the rural outback. Of course, the villages can be different, somewhere, as in the above-mentioned Biertan, antiquity reigns, and somewhere it organically combines with the comfort of modernity. For example, comfortable villas can coexist with peasant houses, where barns and cattle stalls are built in the courtyard, and modern highways alternate with squalid country roads, a luxury car can drive along the highway, and a peasant can plow the field on a horse team. As we said before, Romania is so different! All Romanian villages are very picturesque, mostly located in the valleys or on the shores of the Black Sea, high in mountainous areas and on the green slopes of mountains, abundantly covered with vineyards. Any Romanian village has its own history, centuries-old traditions inherent in this particular place of crafts, local holidays, its own songs and national clothes. Local people are very hospitable and welcoming, they are always glad to any traveler.

Continue your interesting vacation in mysterious Romania in Transylvania, namely in its very heart - the majestic Carpathians, with dark dense forests, where you involuntarily begin to remember the national Romanian tales and legends about the "Strigoi" or vampires living here. All travelers must go to the city of Brasov - a beautiful, medieval city, which, on a cloudy day or when dusk approaches, with its Gothic outlines makes the imagination of impressionable and nervous people play out. On a sunny day, he seems sweet and friendly, resembling the Austrian Salzburg in appearance. In Brasov, be sure to go to the old church of St. Bartholomew, built in 1223, as well as the Black Church, which is really black, from soot after a grandiose fire that happened here. From Brasov, taking a regular bus that departs every half hour, tourists go to the gloomy Bran Castle, popularly known as "Dracula's Castle". This castle was built at the end of the 14th century to carry out the functions of protection, in other words, it was a fortress. Further, the castle was donated to Queen Mary of Romania. You ask, how is the city of Vlad Tepes connected with it? (this is not a mistake - it is Tepes, not Tepes, as our compatriots say) If we give credit to historical justice, then Count Dracula spent two months in prison here, but that's all ... Bran firmly linked Francis Ford Coppola with his name, who filmed here is the famous film "Dracula". And if you have a desire to visit the real places of "Dracula's habitat", then you have to go to Sighisoara. It is a small but completely charming town with beautiful colorful houses and a city clock tower. On one of the streets of the city there is a house where Vlad Tepesh was born in 1431. And although his family did not live here for long, this was quite enough for the city to be included in the list of routes for tourists associated with the mysterious and mystical man of Romania. But the city of Sighisoaru is wonderful and interesting in itself: medieval buildings have been preserved here in their original form, and the atmosphere of the town is so wonderful and soothing that it is called the "pearl of Transylvania".

It should be noted that holidays in Romanian Transylvania are also excellent ski resorts. Poiana Brasov, the most respectable ski resort in Romania, is located just twelve kilometers from Brasov. It is located at an altitude of 1030 meters above sea level and is surrounded by a dense coniferous forest. Locals have begun to visit this place with the aim of skiing since the nineteenth century. Today there are a dozen slopes of varying degrees of difficulty, excellent and reliable lifts will take you upstairs, there are also sports equipment rental points, a school for beginner skiers, and of course comfortable hotels.

It was not for nothing that we said about the school for beginners, because it is the beginners who try to come here, since the Romanian mountain slopes are not as steep and extreme as in the Alps. The skiing season here starts in December and ends in March. A little further from Brasov is Predeal, the slopes of which are very fond of novice snowboarders. At all Romanian ski resorts, they serve tasty and hearty dishes of national cuisine. In the restaurant, tired skiers will be offered fragrant tripe, trout on needles, carp hodgepodge, delicious cabbage rolls, they will be offered to drink it all with excellent wine, and for connoisseurs of stronger drinks, they will bring a Romanian drink called palinka, with a strength of 55 degrees.

Holidays in Romania can also take place at the balneological resort, which operate all year round. Here mineral water with the purest Carpathian air enriched with ozone works wonders. The Slanic-Moldova resort, located in the valley of the river of the same name, is proud of its twenty mineral springs, which have no analogue anywhere else in the world. Here they specialize in the treatment of diseases of the digestive tract, bronchitis and asthma. The next famous resort in Romania is Covasna, where they specialize in the treatment of heart diseases, hypertension, neuroses. In the Eastern Carpathians, the Sovat resort is located, where treatment takes place not only with the help of water, but also with the help of mud from Lake Negru. In this place is the famous salt mine, it is curative, everything is equipped here, there are playgrounds for children, there is even a church for believers. The "underground" cave-clinic accepts up to three thousand people a day.

You can spend your summer vacation on the Black Sea beaches of Romania. They are wide and sandy with a gentle entrance to the sea, which is great for children. The sand here is always velvety, golden in color, very clean and fine. The bottom is smooth, even and without breaks. The widest beaches are in Mangalia and Techirghiola. The sea is very calm everywhere, there are no strong ebb and flow. Prices for tours with holidays on the coast are low, due to the fact that Romanian resorts are not yet a popular destination.

As you can imagine, holidays in Romania can be year-round, multifaceted and very eventful. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you visit this wonderful and mysterious part of Europe.