If you are about to go on vacation in Romania, you have got to read this article! Romania has such a long history, there are so many spooky stories of strange occurrences that have happened all over this country. And we don’t just have scary stories to tell, but just some really splendid legends. Actually, you would be surprised – crazy stuff has happened all over the world, but in Romania we have some of these stories documented.
This means that we can share these stories with you over the internet, and you can learn about them before you travel to this gorgeous country. We hope that some of these stories help drive up the excitement to visit our country and can allow you to go home with some awesome stories! Also note that there are so many more stories than what we are describing here – when you visit Romania, ask the locals for their stories and write them down so you can pass them along too!
1. Muierilor Cave (Woman’s Cave)
Romania has tons of caves, but this has to be one of the coolest! It stretches roughly 7,000 meters long and has four stories. It was also the first electrified cave in Romania, so that you can actually see where you are going. However, even though it is a natural wonder and a beautiful spot to visit, there are also a couple of legendary stories associated with it. Some say that women and their children used to hide out here when their men went to battle during ancient times. Others say that women who aren’t able to get pregnant can visit this cave and have luck afterwards.
2. Ursilor Cave (Bears’ Cave)
This is another absolutely beautiful cave in Romania. It was actually discovered on accident in 1975. Five years after its discovery, it was explored and opened for the public to visit. It was named Bears’ Cave because skeletons of bears were found in here. The story goes that over 100 hungry bears were trapped in the cave when a large boulder blocked the entrance. With no way out, the bears went crazy and started attacking each other and in the end the rest died from starvation. Other legends say that dragons used to live in this cave.
3. The of the Bucegi Mountains
The Bucegi Mountains are actually full of all kinds of wild stories. Some say they have seen paranormal activity, secret underground tunnels, or places where devices just stop working. One of the really cool spots of the Bucegi Mountains is the Sphinx. This is a rock formation created by wind erosion from over hundreds of years. When you look at it, it actually kind of looks like a human’s face protruding against the wind.
Some say that aliens created this structure. Others say that there is a tunnel that leads from this formation all the way to the Sphinx in Egypt. Still others believe that the Dacians, the ancient people of Romania, carved this head themselves, and that it is supposed to represent the god Zalmoxis.
It is thought that this was a sacred place for the Dacians. Today, people make the pilgrimage out to the Sphinx on the 28th of November. It is believed that on this day, the sun aligns with the rock structure in such a way that creates an “energetic pyramid.” People come here to experience the positive energy that supposedly radiates from this spot.
4. Podul lui Dumnezeu (God’s Bridge)
This is an awesome site to see whether or not you know about the legends associated with it. This is a natural bridge that is actually made out of a 4-meter-thick rock arch. It has an opening of 25 meters and a length of 50 meters. It is found in the village of Ponoarele in western Romania and was formed when the ceiling of a caved collapsed inwards. Ready for the legend behind the site?
It is said that the Devil himself lived in Ponoarele Cave. The locals prayed to God for the Devil’s removal, so God answered by crushing in the cave with the palm of His hand. This almost worked, but the Devil was able to escape through the other entrance, which is known at Devil’s Rock.
A second legend says that God made this bridge specially for Saint Nicodim. When villagers accused him of theft, they ran him out of town, so God made him a bridge to get to Tismana. Saint Nicodim had a dream that he would build a monastery above a waterfall, so God led the way by giving him this bridge to cross. Saint Nicodim then went on to build the Tismana Monastery.
5. Vulturilor Lake (Eagles’ Lake, aka “The Bottomless Lake”)
This lake is located in the Buzau Mountains and, although the depth is known to be 2.5 meters, people call this one “The Bottomless Lake.” There are quite a few legends with this lake. Some say that eagles come here to raise their chicks and that this lake serves as a “fountain of youth” for them, so to speak.
As the eagles drink from these waters, they grow younger. Others legends say that there is a dragon that lives in the limitless depths of these waters (perhaps like a Loch Ness monster?).
Other legends say that a road was built under the lake during World War II to lead astray the German Army. The German tanks entered the road, never to be seen again. Still another legend says that locals threw their belongings into this lake when there was rumor of the Tatars going around town (the Tatars were a Turkic ethnic group).
The intent was for the locals to remove their belongings once the Tatars had left, but when the locals went to the lake looking for their valuable treasures, all was gone.