The Hoia-Baciu Forest surrounding Romanian city Cluj-Napoca has been named among the top 10 spookiest European holiday destinations by British newspaper The Guardian.
Encouraging readers to “really spook yourself” on Halloween, the piece, presented a mixture of ancient sites to visit.
Among them, was the Hoia-Baciu Forest, with the author telling tourists go to the “creepy forest” for a genuine thrill rather than visiting the more “kitsch” Bran Castle near Brasov, which was a “Dracula-themed cash-in”.
The Hoia-Baciu forest was home to many a haunted tale, with ghosts and UFO sightings firmly part of its folklore, giving it a “Blair Witch-like” atmosphere,” it said.
A tourism website about the forest – “the most haunted in the world” – says it was was named after a shepherd that disappeared in the area with two hundred sheep and has reputation for paranormal activity.
Also included in the Guardian’s list was:
Sedlec Ossuary, or Bone Church, in the town of Kutna Hora, near Prague in the Czech Republich, which houses the skeletons of around 40,000 plague victims.
City of the Dead in Russia’s North Ossetia where house-like crypts are scattered along the deserted valley.
The Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo, Sicily a 16th century subterranean burial ground, housing the remains of almost 80,000 people.
The Hill of Crosses in the Lithuanian town of Šiauliai, where almost 100,000 crosses adorn a hill.
The Crypt of Santa Maria in the Italian capital of Rome, where 4,000 dead friars rest.
The Capuchin Crypt in Brno, Czech Republic includes the remains of many historical figures, mummified friars and a woman who was buried alive.
Poland’s Chapel of Skulls in Kudowa-Zdrój, made from victims of the Thirty Years and the Silesian wars.
Austria’s The Halstatt Bonehouse in Hallstatt, a 12th-century bone house filled with skulls, some hand painted .
The Vodnjan mummies in Vodnjan, Croatia the resting place of six mummified saints, one dating back to the 12th century.
