The Bermuda Triangle of Romania is the scariest place on the planet. Guide to Romania: the most interesting places and famous sights of the country

Gothic churches, medieval castles, charming cities, wrapped in the mysterious landscapes of the South of Eastern Europe... Romania is full of stunning places that are worth seeing for any traveler. From the underground theme park Salina Turda to the dark castle of Dracula - in front of you best destinations to travel this country.

Sighisoara

This is a small medieval town in Transylvania with charming streets, colorful houses and a stunning historic center. But be careful: Sighisoara is also the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler. According to legend, the city is literally teeming with ghosts.

Lacu Roshu (Red Lake)

Despite the name, the water in Lacu Rocho is the most ordinary, however, once here, you will be so absorbed in the stunning mountain views that you don’t even remember the semantics.

Bran Castle

Bran Castle is located in the Carpathians, on the border of Transylvania and Wallachia. It is also known as Dracula's Castle due to its resemblance to the fortress described in Bram Stoker's novel.

Transfagaras Highway

The Transfagaras Highway is considered to be one of the most beautiful and exciting roads in the world. Laid through the Carpathians, it is literally dotted with sharp turns and long S-shaped descents.

Salina Turda

This is a unique theme park located in one of the oldest salt mines in the world. At a depth of 120 m, tourists can play bowling, take a boat trip on the lake and even ride a Ferris wheel.

Sarmizegetusa

The Romanian version of Stonehenge is the remains of the capital of ancient Dacia, built in the 1st century AD. e. under King Decebalus and destroyed by the Romans in 106.

Statue of King Decebalus

An imposing 40-meter statue of the face of King Decebalus rises on the Romanian side of the Danube. The statue looks like it was created by people ancient world, but in fact it was erected in 2004.

Palace of Culture in Targu Mures

The Palace of Culture was rebuilt at the beginning of the 20th century and is now a fine example of Art Nouveau architecture with bronze busts and numerous stained glass windows.

Lake Balea

This glacial lake is located at an altitude of more than 2000 m in the central part of the Fagaras mountain range. Balea is known for its extraordinary scenery and two chalets open to tourists all year round.

ice hotel

The Ice Hotel is another attraction of Lake Balea. It offers its guests an ice restaurant, a bar, rooms and an igloo. Nearby there is also an ice church where you can get married and have children baptized.

Chahlau

Chahlau (1907 m) is one of the most famous mountain ranges in Romania. It is attractive with stunning views of the Eastern Carpathians, as well as rich flora and fauna.

Merry Cemetery in Sepınce

You may think that all Romanian necropolises are terrifying in appearance, but this is not entirely true. Graves of the Merry Cemetery with colorful crosses self made they don't look gloomy at all.

Danube Delta

The Romanian part of the Danube Delta is home to over 300 bird species, many beautiful beaches and vast wetlands.

Corvin Castle

This 15th-century Gothic fortress has enough creepy features to rival Bran Castle: massive walls and a drawbridge on the outside, dungeons and torture chambers on the inside.

Timisoara

Timisoara is the third most popular tourist destination in Romania after Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca. The city is attractive for its magnificent squares, luxury hotels and festivals.

Casino Constanta

The Constanta Casino was opened in 1910. Now this Art Nouveau masterpiece overlooking the Black Sea is one of the most beautiful abandoned buildings in Romania.

Beushnitsa

Located in the southwest of the country, this national park famous for its picturesque waterfalls and dazzling blue lakes.

Vidraru Dam

The Vidraru Dam, built in 1966 on the Arges River, is a breathtaking sight, as is the lake of the same name that appeared thanks to it.

Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest

This is the second largest administrative building in the post-Pentagon world. The Palace of the Parliament has 12 floors and 1100 rooms.

Brasov

Visiting Brasov is like traveling back in time to the Middle Ages. Numerous clock towers and Gothic churches remind of the era that has sunk into oblivion.

Sibiu

The history of the city goes back to the XII century, when the Saxon settlers mastered Transylvania. Sibiu is full of buildings with German architecture that serve as a reminder of its founders.

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

witch lake

Not far from Bucharest, in a mysterious forest, there is a lake, for many centuries it was called the Witch's. 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 banks.

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

In most cases, sorcerers and witches performing their rituals here are so focused that they are not distracted by random witnesses, but still a 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 for centuries was considered the habitat of vampires, its popularity, along with the fame that fell on Dracula, brought a novel by Bram Stoker written at the end of the nineteenth century. The image of Dracula he created became canonical, becoming almost an archetype.

It is now almost impossible to imagine another Dracula, and he himself has become the most striking incarnation 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 present-day Romania. The reason why Vlad III became a vampire in popular rumor is his extreme, sophisticated cruelty. His nickname Tepes - "the stinger" - fully reflects his favorite method of execution. Another nickname - "Dracul", that is, "dragon", he inherited from his father, along with membership in knightly order Dragon.

It was said about Tepes that he loved to kill for fun, washing his body with blood. Foreign ambassadors who refused to take off their hats to him regretted it when he ordered their hats to be nailed to their heads. The fight against poverty in the view of Dracula looked like this: to gather 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 planted them on stakes made of wood chips. Among other things, Vlad Tepes changed his faith, which, according to popular belief, 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 Vlad Tepes himself.

Stoker indicated a castle in Transylvania as his place of residence, while in reality Vlad Tepes lived in the capital of Wallachia, Targovishte. The reason for this literary migration is that Stoker learned about Bran Castle, where Tepes often stopped while hunting. 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.

Forest Hoya-Bachu, located near 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: people disappear without a trace here, encounters with UFOs are not uncommon ... Residents of the surrounding 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 of 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 last years more and more tourists tend to visit not only and not so much Dracula's castle, but the Hoya-Bachu forest surrounding it, in which paranormal phenomena have become almost commonplace.

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

At the beginning of the last century, the forest (then it was simply called Hoya) began to change literally before our eyes. The straight trunks of the trees gradually bent at monstrous angles. The ground was overgrown with thick moss. Animals gradually disappeared from the forest, followed by 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 chose the forest thicket.

The Lost Shepherd

The forest of Hoya began to justify its sinister reputation immediately 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 residents were engaged in cattle breeding, and therefore Bacha, who raised and sold hundreds of sheep, was respected. One day in June, a shepherd drove a flock of 200 heads to a 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, became alarmed. Residents of the city and surrounding villages (several thousand people participated in the search) literally combed the forest, the area of ​​which is 35 hectares, literally by a meter. But no traces of either the shepherd or the sheep could be 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, taking away such a large flock so that it would not be noticed in the surrounding villages is an unrealistic task. The respected man 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 new victims. Within a few years, several more people disappeared in Hoya Bachu. Their bodies were also not found. But these tragedies can be attributed to an accident, an attack by wild animals, that is, at least somehow explained. Other stories smack of outright devilry.

Here, for example, are two cases that occurred after the Second World War. A young teacher, who did not believe in God or in hell, 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 observed the largest number ghosts in the UK - at least 12 "apparitions" per year.

The unfortunate 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 was chasing beautiful butterfly ran into the forest and disappeared. Searches were organized, but the baby could not be found. Only five years later, the missing girl - in the same clothes and absolutely unchanged in appearance - came out of the forest, holding a caught butterfly by the wings.

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

Educated people, like the teacher mentioned above, despise superstition. Therefore, although the majority of 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, unreasonable vomiting. Doctors could not establish the cause of ailments in absolutely healthy people. After some time, the patients recovered, but Hoya-Bacha finally gained a bad reputation.

World fame

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

Surprisingly, Hoya-Bachu did not cause him any harm. Alexander Sift noted that in the depths of the forest there is a strange round clearing on which there is no vegetation. When comparing soil samples from this clearing and from a regular forest clearing, no difference in composition was found. This means that there are no biological reasons for the disappearance of vegetation within the round meadow.

Alexander Sift noted: UFO (most often round shape) can be found anywhere in the forest. But in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe "bald" meadow, their activity is greatest. When the films were developed after nightly photo shoots, 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 photographs taken with digital cameras. Scientists cannot give a reasonable explanation for this, but the locals have it. In their opinion, balls are souls dead people. The fact is that the lands of Transylvania are abundantly watered with blood - this area constantly changed hands in the Middle Ages. All this, of course, was accompanied by violence. The unfortunate peasants were robbed and mercilessly killed by local princes, and Hungarians, and Romanians, and Turks.

... In 1968, the case of Sift was continued by the Romanian military engineer Emil Barni. Shortly after the observation began, he managed to photograph a UFO above 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 that this is the clearest and most reliable picture of a UFO taken in Romania.

Portal to another world?

Nowadays, numerous ufologists from different countries world - Germany, France, Great Britain, Hungary. However, paranormal activity in these places has declined somewhat in recent years. Not all visitors manage to encounter mystical phenomena.

However, many of them are watching in the forest glowing balls(most often - near the "bald" clearing in the depths of the forest). Sometimes researchers hear strange sounds or see flickering shadows and lights. In winter, strange footprints often appear in the snow that do not belong to any creature known on Earth.

Photographs still often show strange silhouettes and glowing orbs that are not visible to the naked eye.

Prestigious ufology publications, as well as the BBC channel, call Hoya Bachu one of the most interesting paranormal zones on the planet. Even Nicolas Cage came here, intrigued by the programs about the mysterious forest. The famous Hollywood actor filmed a documentary about Hoya Bachu for several days, which he now shows to his friends at private parties. Cage is sure 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 all the devilry that is happening in Hoya-Bachu. They are sure that the “bald” clearing in the thicket is a portal to another world. Disappeared people simply failed there. And luminous balls, strange shadows and UFOs are inhabitants parallel universe who accidentally entered our world.

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

Andrey Leshukonsky

Romania is simply a treasure trove of mysticism and various devilry. In addition to the gloomy castle of Vlad the Impaler, known to everyone as Count Dracula, there are still places where it is undesirable for the especially impressionable to go. But if you are tired of conventional routes, you love nature and are looking for adventure on your own head, then this collection is for you.

Hoya-Bachu Forest

Called the "Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania", the forest near the city of Cluj-Napoca is one of the most active regions in the world in terms of paranormal activity. Once a shepherd disappeared here along with his flock, and no one was able to find him or even a part of the sheep. Since then, the forest has been infamous. Locals say that those entering Hoya Bachu suddenly experience a strange feeling of nausea and at the same time constantly feel that someone is chasing them. And it's not just impressions. Unexplained phenomena were taken by cameras: UFOs hovering in the air, shadows, strange silhouettes.

witch lake

Continuing the mystical tour, you can look into another Bold Cretjesca forest, 30 kilometers from Bucharest. There is a mysterious lake there. Its depth is 1.5 meters and remains unchanged in hot weather and during the rainy season. There are no frogs or birds here. Animals always bypass this place and even in a drought they do not drink enchanted water. Locals say that for a long time witches and sorcerers have come to the lake to perform secret rituals. It is believed that the lake is a source of some mental energy for those who can feel it. It seems, a good place for meditation.

Forest of Radovan

And in this forest, located in Dolj County, ghosts live. More precisely, the ghost of a young woman dressed in a wedding dress. They say that this is the ghost of a girl who came from Moldova to earn money for her family, but hanged herself in the forest of Radovan, thinking that she was pregnant. Others believe that the ghost of a girl appears in the forest, whose fiancé died right before the wedding. The news of his death made her wedding dress jump into the well. But even after death, she did not stop looking for her beloved. That is why the bride appears only in front of the cars of unmarried guys. Legends are legends, but on the road that runs along the forest, you really have to be very careful.

Longgang Hill

On the Longgang Hill between the villages of Sarka and Longgan of the Yassy County, it is also impossible to enjoy the local beauties in silence - and mysterious phantoms wander here. They say that soldiers who died during the First World War were buried in a mass grave in this place. Buried without a religious rite, their souls did not find peace. So the restless walk on the earth.

Trovant Museum-Reserve

In the south of Romania sand pits There are no ghosts in the Valcea region, but “living” stones, called “trovants”, grow there. Their size ranges from a few grams to several tons, and the largest specimens reach a height of 10 meters. The most interesting thing is that such huge boulders many years ago were just small pebbles. According to geologists, the reason for the growth of stones lies in the increased mineralization of sandstone rocks. Rainwater activates inside trovants chemical reaction, and the pressure inside the stone causes it to grow. The whole process resembles budding, and scientists are seriously thinking about the question: are the stones still unknown to mankind an inorganic life form?

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

At 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 waters of the Black Sea. The central, northern and western parts of the country are occupied by mountains. In the south is the Lower Danube Plain. The main river artery of Romania is the Danube.

Perhaps, it is worth starting a 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, destroy monasteries, churches, thousands of houses ... Instead, artificial hill, with the House of the People on it. This whole 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, which is second only to the Pentagon. It even has eight underground floors, and there are so many halls that it is easy to get lost. Now the building houses the Palace of the Parliament, a ticket to visit this place costs about ten euros, for this amount an excursion is also purchased. Several surviving old quarters start from the main city avenue "Calea Victorie", you can safely turn into any lane and look at beautiful centuries-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" - the building that serves as a hotel and restaurant was built in the nineteenth century; Meals in the restaurant are served only national cuisine, you will be offered: Romanian cutlets with hominy, they will offer to wash them down with a glass of local house wine or a glass of beer.

The history of Romania is long and full of different historical events: there were wars, and the heroic struggle for independence, and the famous "Ceausescu regime". But we will not talk about this, but about what makes Romania exactly that mysterious European country? It would seem that this is the very center of progressive Eastern Europe, and traveling around the country, you stumble upon godforsaken villages, into which the twenty-first did not even think to look. You even wonder how such a miracle could retain its authenticity today. Good example, Romanian village Biertan, located in Transylvania. It was built by Saxon settlers in the 12th century. This village has a fortified church, which was an integral attribute 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 the three defensive walls. Local residents, at signs of attack, fled to the church to wait out long periods of siege there. The feeling that time has stood still takes over here completely and irrevocably: sleepy streets, a few local residents modestly dressed in a rustic way.

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

To continue an interesting vacation in mysterious Romania is in Transylvania, namely in its very heart - the majestic Carpathians, with dark dense forests, where you involuntarily begin to remember national Romanian fairy tales and legends about the "strigoi" or vampires living here. All travelers definitely go to the city of Brasov - a beautiful, medieval city, which on a cloudy day or at the approach of dusk with its Gothic outlines makes impressionable and nervous persons play out their fantasy. On a sunny day, he seems sweet and friendly, reminiscent of the Austrian Salzburg. In Brasov, be sure to go to the ancient 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 bus that leaves every half an 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 protection functions, in other words, it was a fortress. Further, the castle was presented to Queen Mary of Romania. You ask, how is the city of Vlad Tepesh connected with him? (this is not a mistake - it is Tepesh, not Tepes, as our compatriots say) To give credit historical justice, then Count Dracula spent two months in prison here, but that's all ... Francis Ford Coppola, who filmed his famous film Dracula, firmly connected with his name Bran. And if you have a desire to visit the real places of "Dracula's habitat", then you will have to go to Sighisoara. This is a small but absolutely charming town, with beautiful multi-colored houses and the city's clock tower. On one of the streets of the city stands the house in which 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 tourist routes associated with the mysterious and mystical man of Romania. But the city of Sighisoara is remarkable 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. Just twelve kilometers from Brasov is the most respectable ski resort in Romania - the resort of Poiana Brasov. It is located at an altitude of 1030 meters above sea level and is surrounded by a dense coniferous forest. Locals have been visiting this place for skiing since the nineteenth century. To date, there are a dozen tracks of varying degrees of difficulty, excellent and reliable lifts will take you to the top, there are also rental points sports equipment, a school for beginner skiers, and of course comfortable hotels. It was not in vain 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 beginner snowboarders. At all Romanian ski resorts, they are fed tasty and satisfying dishes of national cuisine. In the restaurant, tired skiers will be offered fragrant offal, trout on needles, carp hodgepodge, delicious cabbage rolls, they will offer all this to be washed down 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 year-round. Here mineral water with Carpathian the purest air enriched with ozone work 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 analogues anywhere 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 disease, hypertension, and neuroses. In the Eastern Carpathians, there is the resort of Sovat, where treatment is carried out not only with the help of water, but also with the help of mud from Lake Negru. The famous salt mine is located in this place, it is curative, everything is equipped here, there are playgrounds even has a church for believers. The "underground" cave-clinic takes 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 smooth 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 and without breaks. The widest beaches are in Mangalia and Techirghiol. The sea is very calm everywhere, there are no strong tides here. Prices for tours with holidays on the coast are low, due to the fact that the Romanian resorts are not yet a popular destination.

As you understand, 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.