Călugăreasca Forest

Călugăreasca Forest, a dense stand of mulberry trees in Romania, is known locally for an eerie stillness — visitors say the wind never seems to blow among its trees. According to legend, the forest once held a monastery whose monks lived in quiet devotion until an invading Turkish army massacred them and burned the buildings to the ground. As the last monk lay dying, he is said to have cursed his killers, condemning their souls to wander the forest forever, unable to find peace or escape its boundaries. A tall white cross, the only structure said to have survived the destruction, still stands at the heart of the woods; tradition holds that anyone who prays there after nightfall will be protected from the restless spirits. Smaller crosses ring the forest's edge, believed to act as a barrier the cursed souls cannot cross.