Hoia-Baciu
The Hoia-Baciu ( Romanian. Pădurea Hoia-Baciu ) is a dense forest area in the center of Romania . It is located west of Cluj-Napoca and is officially a recreational and hiking area. In modern subcultures and protosciences , the forest is mainly known as the “hotspot” of alleged paranormal phenomena .
Geography and history
The Hoia-Baciu is located in the historical region of Transylvania (former Grand Duchy of Transylvania ) in the center of Romania . It nestles against the western city limits of Cluj-Napoca and extends over approx. 295 hectares . It is a mixed deciduous forest of beech , oak , alder and birch . It was already known to the inhabitants of the Transylvania region in the early days, supposedly people were afraid of the interior of the forest, although the forest has always been used as a hunting and hiking area. According to popular tradition, the forest was named after a shepherd who is said to have disappeared into the forest with his around 200 sheep. In the 1970s, the forest gained worldwide fame through an alleged wave of UFO sightings.
use
The forest is officially considered a recreation and hiking area. Biking tours take place regularly, occasionally motocross tours.
Phenomena
The Hoia-Baciu is in modern media and subcultures as "hotspot" for alleged UFO sightings and hauntings known commonly by the nickname "Bermuda Triangle of Europe". Rumors and urban legends about encounters with unknown flying objects and / or ghosts and monsters are circulating again and again . The legends have their origins in a report by the military technician Emil Barnea from August 18, 1968. Barnea claims to have spotted a brightly shining UFO over the Hoia-Baciu, he presented several black-and-white photographs of a ring-shaped object seems to float in the forest. However, the authenticity of the photos is doubted by skeptics.
On the video channel Youtube , private “adventure documentaries” are increasing in which self-declared “haunted researchers” and adventurers visit the Hoia-Baciu (especially at night) in the hope of being able to record paranormal phenomena. Most of the recordings, however, are inconclusive and unspectacular.
literature
- Robert Reid, Leif Pettersen: Romania e Moldova . EDT srl, Torino (IT) 2007, ISBN 8860401488 , pages 218-219.
Web links
- Brian Dunning: Solving the Haunted Hoia-Baciu Forest . Internet article from May 25, 2016 on skeptoid.com (English), last accessed on December 7, 2017.
- Background information on Hoia-Baciu at hoiabaciuforest.ro (Romanian), last accessed on December 7, 2017.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sophie Buchan: Hoia Baciu: Inside the creepiest forest in Transylvania . Internet article on independent.co.uk (English); last accessed on December 4, 2018.