Haunted Transylvania

Transylvania has become a well-known name and everyone knew it was in Romania. This was due to the story of Dracula, to the stories of the actual so-called Dracula Vlad the Impaler and of course, due to all the Hollywood movies about the blood-sucking demon. However, if you think you'll visit Romania and travel to Transylvania to come face to face with the actual Dracula you might be disappointed. Instead, try roaming about Translyvania and you could meet up with plenty of ghostly apparitions and you might even get scared to death.

Spooky Castles

Jumping from the battlements

Poenari Castle sits atop 1,400 steps and is a very remote and imposing castle. This castle is associated with Romania's actual Dracula the evil Vlad the Impaler. It is at this castle that his first wife supposedly flung herself from the battlements and into the River Arges below. She feared being captured by the Ottoman army and now her tormented spirit remains at the castle, People have seen strange lights and investigators spending the night in the ruins have gotten so scared seeing eerie floating lights that they've run away from the mountain.

Vlad the Impaler imprisoned in a dungeon

Corvin Castle is a wonder to behold with high rising turrets and buttresses, inner courtyards and a drawbridge. The castle is located in Hunedoara and is full of ghostly spirits from the past. Stories here are told of Turkish prisoners beheaded after some well digging. They have carved their names in the sides of the well with the message "You now have water, but you don't have a soul" There was a Bear Pit into which the bodies of prisoners were thrown. This castle has a dark aura and it is supposed that at one time the infamous Vlad the Impaler was imprisoned in the dungeon here and this is how he became the dark and bloodthirsty figure.

Shadows of soldiers

Banffy Castle is located near the university in the city of Chuj Napoca. It has become a popular destination for ghost hunting TV shows, The castle was built between 1437 and 1543 by the Banffy family who lived there until 1944 when they fled from the Nazis. The castle was plundered and turned into a military hospital. Sinister shadows of soldiers have been seen and strange sounds and whispering voices heard. There has been the sighting of a young man, who is thought to have been the stable boy killed by a woman living at the castle who discovered that he knew too much about her love affairs.

Beware of Revengeful Spirits

Haunted well

Rasnov Fortress has been tagged with the moniker "Fortress of Fear" due to the discovery of human bones. The fortress was built by Teutonic Knights on a hilltop and was a place that offered refuge to citizens and it became a small fortified village. Legend has it that in 1623 two Turkish prisoners were made to dig a well in the center of the citadel and when they completed this they would be given freedom. They dug the well but were killed right afterwards. Because they were thus betrayed they now haunt the well. In other places at this fortress people have seen dark shadows moving about and entities, felt cold spots and unexplained noises have been heard.

Murderous ghost

Teleki Mansion just has the look of a typical haunted house. It was once a grand house in Ocna Mures but now has fallen into disrepair. The house dates back to the Middle Ages but its haunted history began with WW II. During wartime Russian soldiers were led to believe through rumors that there was wine hidden in the cellar. Once in the wine cellar, the inebriated soldiers shot at the barrels and as the wine burst forth the soldiers drowned. The locals blamed a murderous ghost for this tragedy.

Mysterious monastery

Sinca Veche is a cave monastery that is associated with mystery. Apparently, divine energy is given off here and the sun comes through an opening in the ceiling as people stand in a grotto waiting to soak it all up. No one has any idea who built the underground shrine but it is around 2,000 years old, Altogether there are nine chambers and two of them were used as chapels. The walls are covered with religious symbols among them a Star of David and a yin-yang sign. The grounds surrounding the place have a more traditional monastery and paths leading through rocks. There are stories of strange phenomena like orbs and UFOs.

Haunted Nature

Enter the forest, don't return

Hoia Baciu Forest is located on the outskirts of Cluj Napoca and has become known as "Europe's Bermuda Triangle" that started with stories of people disappearing among the oddly twisted trees. The forest was named after a shepherd who one day entered the forest with 200 sheep and never came back out again.

Most of the supernatural activity is apparently focus on Polana Rotunda, a clearing that seems to have electromagnetic activity and apparitions as well as the sound of disembodied voices. Things that have been spotted are UFOs, lights, and orbs and people complain of suffering from such symptoms as nausea and scratches. The forest has been investigated by ghost teams and they've become hysterical during the night in the forest.

Disappearing mountain

Gugu Peak has an unusual tendency to disappear. This section of the Godeanu Mountains is located in Retezat National Park and during certain hours of the day, it is not visible. It is not known if this is due to weather conditions or supernatural happenings. Dacians looked to it as the home of the god Zalmoxis and considered it to be their "Sacred Mountain" Paranormal researchers consider it to be charged with energy and hikers have spotted such strange phenomenon as light shooting out of its peak.