The most unusual and beautiful places on the planet. The strangest places on earth

This small piece of land in the Pacific Ocean (area - 163.6 km², population - about 6,000 people) is known throughout the world thanks to the mysterious stone idols - moai. Almost nine hundred statues stand around the perimeter of the island, like sentinels. Who made them? How were multi-ton blocks moved? What function did the statues serve? Europeans have been puzzling over these questions for decades. And although it is believed that Thor Heyerdahl solved the riddle, local residents still believe that the moai contains the sacred power of the ancestors of the Hotu Matu’a clan.

This is a dense forest at the foot of Fuji on the island of Honshu. The place is ominous: rocky soil, tree roots entwined with rocky debris, there is a “deafening” silence, compasses do not work. And although scientists (seemingly) have found explanations for all these phenomena, the Japanese believe that ghosts live in the forest - the souls of frail old people who were left there to die in times of famine. Therefore, during the day Aokigahara is a popular vacation spot, and at night it is a “haven” for suicides. Books and songs have been written about this place, films have been made, including documentaries.

In California's Death Valley National Park there is a dry lake that would be ordinary if not for a phenomenon that scientists have been puzzling over for years. 30-kilogram stones move along its clay bottom. Slowly, but without the help of living beings. The blocks leave behind long, shallow furrows. Moreover, the trajectory of their movement is absolutely arbitrary. What pushes stones? Different versions were voiced: specifics magnetic field, wind, seismic activity. None of the guesses has received sufficient scientific substantiation.

Roraima is a mountain on the border of three countries. But its top is not a sharp peak, but a luxurious, cloud-shrouded plateau with an area of ​​34 km², with unique plants and picturesque waterfalls. This is exactly how Arthur Conan Doyle imagined The Lost World. According to Indian beliefs, Roraima is a petrified tree trunk that gave birth to all the vegetables and fruits on the planet. The Indians also believed that gods lived there, so no one climbed to the top before the arrival of Europeans. Modern travelers say that on Roraima people are simply filled with sacred delight.

At the foot of the Annam ridge, giant pots are “scattered”: up to three meters in height and weighing up to six tons. Archaeologists suggest that the jars are about two thousand years old, but they cannot understand how the ancestors of modern Laotians used them. Laotian legends say that these are utensils of giants who lived in the valley. They also say that King Khung Trung ordered the jugs to be made in order to prepare a lot of rice wine and celebrate the victory over the enemies. Historians have their own versions: rainwater could be collected in pots or food could be stored in them. Or maybe they were funeral urns?

In the Atlantic Ocean, in the “triangle” between Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico, there is an anomalous zone where more than a hundred ships and aircraft have “evaporated” over the past hundred years. The most famous case occurred in 1945. Five Avenger bombers took off from a US Navy base and disappeared. The planes that went in search of them also disappeared without a trace. Skeptics say that shoals, cyclones and storms are to blame. But many tend to believe in more mystical versions: for example, in abduction by aliens or inhabitants of Atlantis.

In Yunnan province, the “Stone Forest” spreads over an area of ​​350 km². Ancient rocks, caves, waterfalls and lakes create the atmosphere of a fairy-tale world. According to legend, one young man decided to save the people from drought and build a dam. The wizard gave him a whip and a rod to cut and move blocks of stone. But the instruments had magical powers only until dawn. The young man did not finish the work, and the huge monoliths remained scattered throughout the valley. Scientists believe that 200 million years ago there was a sea in the place of the “Stone Forest”. It dried up, but the rocks that amaze with their grandeur and beauty remained.

In the English county of Somerset there is a 145-meter hill topped by the tower of the medieval church of St. Mikhail. According to legend, there was an entrance to Avalon - the other world where holy people, fairy-tale creatures and magicians were born, where special laws of time and space operate. King Arthur and his wife Guinevere were buried on this hill - in 1191, the monks of Glastonbury Abbey allegedly found sarcophagi with their remains. This is not the only legend about St. Michael's Hill and King Arthur. Perhaps these are just myths, but visitors to the attraction claim that the hill has powerful energy.

On the Chukchi island of Itygran there is an ancient Eskimo sanctuary. Huge whale bones and skulls are buried in the frozen shore. The alley was opened in 1977, but its mysteries have not yet been solved. There is an assumption that in the 14th century this place was used by whalers for ritual meetings. Judging by the many “meat pits,” the gatherings were accompanied by feasts, and the holes in the tops of the whale “pillars” indicate that the whalers may also have played games, hanging prizes on bones. But in folklore there is no information about the purpose of the alley. But there is a legend about the battle of “flying shamans” that took place there.

It’s hard to believe, but this “fountain,” as if straight from the pages of a science fiction writer’s book, is not on Jupiter, not on Mars, but on Earth, in the state of Nevada. The “flying” geyser spews jets of hot water to a height of up to 15 meters, forming a “mini-volcano” of mineral deposits around itself. Scientists claim that this is what the surface of our planet looked like millions of years ago. The geyser is located on the territory of a private ranch, and to admire it, you need permission from the owner. But this does not stop tourists. People believe that if you wash your face with geyser water, life will become bright and happy.

In the western Sahara there is the “Eye of the Earth”. These huge circles, drawn by an unknown force, really resemble an eye. The Richat structure is the oldest geological formation, the age of one of the rings is about 600 million years. The “Eye” is clearly visible from space; in orbit it is used as a landmark. There are different versions about the nature of this formation. For example, that this is a crater from a meteorite fall or a landing site for aliens. But the most scientific hypotheses suggest that this is the crater of an extinct volcano or the result of erosion on an uplifted section of the earth’s crust.

The Nazca Plateau, like a canvas, is covered with giant patterns. A hummingbird, a monkey, a spider, flowers, a lizard, geometric shapes - in total there are about 30 neat designs made in the same style in the valley. Geoglyphs on the Nazca plateau were discovered almost a century ago, but scientists are still arguing about who, how and when created them. Some believe that this is an ancient irrigation system, others that these are the “holy paths of the Incas,” while others claim that this is the oldest astronomy textbook on Earth. There is also a completely mystical version that the lines are a message from aliens. There are many theories, but none have been scientifically confirmed.

The 17th-century palace in the village of Podgortsy, Lviv region, would be an ordinary historical landmark (a perfectly preserved, striking example of Renaissance architecture, the place where D’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers was filmed) if it were not for the anomalies noticed there. According to legend, one of the owners of the castle, Vaclav Rzhevuski, was terribly jealous of his beautiful wife Maria. So much so that he walled her up within the walls of the palace. The caretakers of Podgoretsky Castle claim that they have seen the ghost of the “White Lady” more than once and constantly hear the clicking of heels on the marble floor.

Devil's Tower, or Devil's Tower, is a columnar mountain in the state of Wyoming. It resembles a tower assembled from individual columns. It's hard to believe that this is a creation of nature and not human hands. The indigenous population treated the tower with awe, because strange light phenomena were observed many times at the top. There is a legend that the devil sits on the top and beats a drum, causing thunder. Because of its bad reputation, climbers avoid the mountain. But she appears in Steven Spielberg’s film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” - this is where the meeting with aliens takes place.

In the Gulf of Naples, off the coast of Campania, there are two small islands of wondrous beauty. A bridge connects them together. One of them is uninhabited, the other has a villa built on it. But no one lives in it - the place is considered cursed. All its owners, as well as some members of their families, died under strange circumstances, went bankrupt, and ended up in prisons and psychiatric hospitals. Due to their bad reputation, the islands have no owner and the villa is abandoned. Only occasionally do brave tourists, photographers and journalists visit Gaiola.

In the picturesque town of Bran stands a majestic 14th-century castle. According to legend, Count Vlad III Tepes-Dracula often spent the night here. This man became the prototype of the most famous vampire in pop culture. The count was given the nickname “Dracula” for his incredible cruelty: he killed innocents for fun, took blood baths, could impale a person and eat in the presence of a corpse. The people hated and feared him. Bran Castle is currently a working museum. It is believed that although Vlad III did not live there permanently, the place is imbued with his negative aura.

In the place where the Catatumbo River flows into Lake Maracaibo, a unique atmospheric phenomenon is observed: almost every night the sky is illuminated by lightning without thunder. There are over a million discharges per year. Lightning can be seen hundreds of kilometers away. Scientists have discovered the cause of the phenomenon, but its extraordinary beauty still gives rise to superstitions and legends. In 1595, Catatumbo lightning saved the city of Maracaibo. Pirate Francis Drake decided to capture the city, but because of the lightning, local residents saw his ships approach from afar, managed to prepare and fought back.

In California, on the border with Nevada, there is a ghost town named after gold miner William Bodie. In 1880, the city had a population of 10,000. They accounted for 65 saloons and 7 breweries, they even had their own “red light district” - crime, drunkenness and debauchery flourished in the city. When the gold rush died down, people left. Now it is a historical park. But tourists do not come to Bodi because of their interest in history: the city is considered a haven of ghosts. Anyone who takes even a stone from there will be haunted by misfortune. Park rangers constantly receive packages with the return of “souvenirs”.

Trolltunga, or Troll's Tongue, is an unusual rock outcrop at an altitude of 350 meters on Mount Skjeggedal. Why language? And why a troll? As an old Norwegian legend says, in those parts there lived a troll who constantly tested fate: he dived into deep pools and jumped over abysses. One day he decided to check whether it was true that the rays of the sun were deadly to trolls. At dawn, he stuck his tongue out of his cave and... was petrified forever. The rock attracts modern adventurers like a magnet: sit on the edge, do a somersault, take a photo. There is no troll, but his work lives on!

This is the highest point of the Harz Mountain (1141 m), where, according to legend, the witches held a Sabbath on Walpurgis Night. At the top you can observe a natural phenomenon of rare beauty and mystery - the Brocken ghost. If you stand with your back to the setting sun, a large shadow with a rainbow halo around your head will appear on the surface of the clouds or in the fog. Sometimes you even get the feeling that the “ghost” is moving. The phenomenon was first described by Johann Silberschlag in 1780 and since then has been mentioned more than once in the literature about the Harz Mountains.

Golosov Ravine was once a deserted, gloomy outskirts of Moscow. Now this is a beautiful place, shrouded in legends, in the Moscow Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve. One of the legends tells of a strange green fog. Allegedly, there were cases when people wandered in an emerald haze for what seemed to them to be several minutes, but in reality decades passed. Also in the ravine there are stones that in ancient times had sacred meaning: the Goose Stone patronized warriors, giving them strength and luck in battle, and the Maiden Stone brought happiness to girls.

130 km from London, in the county of Wiltshire, there is a bizarre structure made of huge stone blocks. It is one of the most popular archaeological sites in the world. Researchers have found that the construction of the complex lasted almost two thousand years and took place in several stages. However, it is still unclear who built it and why. According to popular legend, huge blue stones have magical powers, and the structure was erected by a wizard named Merlin. There are also versions that Stonehenge is a Stone Age observatory, a Druid sanctuary or an ancient tomb.

The Goseck Circle refers to concentric ditches with a diameter of 75 meters and log circles with gates. Through them, on the days of the summer and winter solstice, the sun penetrates into the circle. This has given rise to the theory that this Neolithic structure is the world's oldest observatory. It was supposedly built in 4900 BC. e. It seems that the creators of the ancient “celestial calendar” had good knowledge of astronomy. It is noteworthy that similar prehistoric structures exist not only near Goseck, but also in other places in Germany, as well as in Austria and Croatia.

At the top of the mountain range, at an altitude of 2,450 m, among the clouds above the valley of the Urubamba River, the ancient “lost city of the Incas” rises majestically. Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century, but in 1532 the palaces, altars and houses were abandoned. Where did the residents go? According to historians, the elite of the Inca Empire lived in Machu Picchu, and with the fall of the empire, the inhabitants simply left in search of a better life. According to popular beliefs, most of the population was sacrificed to the gods to save the empire, and the rest scattered throughout the valley. But there is no clear answer.

A natural funnel with a diameter of 5 meters in the strait of Cape Perpetua was named in honor of the god Thor. But more often it is called the “gate to the underworld.” The spectacle is truly hellishly beautiful: during high tide, water quickly fills the well, and then sharply “shoots” upward in a six-meter fountain, forming a whirlwind of spray. It’s as if there’s a monster living at the bottom that gets angry at the streams of water pouring on it and pushes them back. But it has not yet been possible to find out what is actually inside the funnel - diving there is too dangerous.

Huge stone balls with a diameter of up to two meters are “scattered” along the Koekohe beach, not far from the village of Moeraki. The surface of some of them is absolutely smooth, while others resemble a turtle shell. Some boulders are intact, while others are broken into pieces. Where they came from is a mystery of nature. According to the Maori folk version, these are potatoes that woke up from a mythical canoe. There are also opinions that these are fossilized dinosaur eggs and the remains of alien aircraft. Scientists believe that these are geological formations that formed on the ocean floor millions of years ago.

Another place with mysterious stone balls is Champ Island, located in the central part of Franz Josef Land (Arkhangelsk region). The entire coast is literally strewn with spherical stones ranging in size from a few centimeters to three meters. Where did they come from on a deserted island? It is believed that due to the melting of glaciers, stones fell into natural pools and were ground down by water. But why only on this island? Among the supernatural theories are the intervention of aliens and the fact that the stones are artifacts of some lost civilization.

On the edge of the ledge of the Chaittiyo rock lies a granite boulder 5.5 meters high and about 25 meters in circumference. The boulder has been balancing on the edge of the abyss for several centuries and, contrary to the laws of physics, does not fall. According to legend, Buddha gave a lock of his hair to a hermit monk. To preserve the relic, he placed it under a huge stone placed on the rock by Burmese spirits. The stone is covered with gold leaf and is one of the main Buddhist shrines. It has not yet been possible to find a scientific basis for the phenomenon of the Chaittiyo Pagoda. And is it necessary?

40 km from Berlin there is a sanatorium that was once considered the best in Germany. At first it was a hospital for tuberculosis patients, and then a military hospital. In 1916, the young soldier Adolf Hitler “licked his wounds” there. After World War II, the hospital was at the disposal of the Soviet authorities. Now there are many horror stories associated with the sanatorium in the city of Belits. Allegedly, strange sounds are heard there, and letters from soldiers are still found in the walls of the building. Speculation and nothing more? Probably. But visitors say: the longer you stay there, the more tired and depressed you feel.

“Mystery Spot” is translated from English as “Mysterious Place”. In the mid-twentieth century, businessman George Prater decided to build a house. He chose a place on the hillside, bought land, but was never able to erect a building. The house looked crooked, although the drawings were correct and the builders were sober. It turned out that the laws of physics were violated on the hill: the balls are rolling up an inclined plane, the broom is standing without support, water is flowing upward, people are standing in an inclined position. Scientists say it's nothing more than optical illusions, but many tend to see a mystical trace in what is happening.

The largest and most mysterious of the great Egyptian pyramids located on the Giza plateau. Its height is 138.8 meters (due to the current lack of cladding), the length of the base is 230 meters. Built in the 26th century BC. e. The construction of the pyramid lasted more than 20 years, colossal resources were involved: 2.5 million multi-ton limestone blocks, tens of thousands of slaves. It would seem that the Cheops pyramid has already been studied far and wide, but disputes among scientists do not subside. How did the construction go? How was this gigantic structure used? There are still more questions than answers.

40 km north of Dublin there is an ancient stone structure. It is 700 years older than the Egyptian pyramids. According to legend, Newgrange is the home of the Celtic god of wisdom and the sun, Dagda. According to archaeologists, this place served as a tomb. There is also a version that this is one of the first observatories: during the winter solstice, the morning rays of the sun penetrate the hole above the entrance and illuminate the room from the inside. But researchers still have more questions than answers: where did the inscriptions on the stones come from and what do they mean, how did the builders achieve such accuracy, what tools did they use?

In the south of China there is one of the most powerful anomalous zones in the world - the Heizhu Valley, which translated means “Hollow of Black Bamboo”. Here, under mysterious circumstances, accidents occur and people disappear in thick fog. No one can find an objective reason for what is happening. Some believe that plants that release toxic substances grow and rot in the forest. Others believe that the cause of the strange events is strong geomagnetic radiation. Mystics say that in the valley there is a portal to a parallel world.

In Yosemite National Park, on the eastern slope of Mount El Capitan, there is a 650-meter waterfall. Most of the year it is unremarkable, but in February the falling streams of water turn into “lava flows”. This amazing natural phenomenon is due to the fact that at sunset the sun's rays are reflected in the waterfall, creating a visual illusion that hot metal is flowing from the rock. According to legend, at the top of the mountain was the house of a blacksmith who made the best horseshoes for horses in the area. But due to heavy rain, the forge was washed off the cliff. Since then, the waterfall once a year “reminds” of this tragic event.

In the north of England, in the county of Northumberland, there is a majestic 12th-century castle with a watchtower. At one time it was of great strategic importance, but in the 17th century it became the residence of the aristocracy. Dramas and intrigues unfolded within its walls, claiming many lives. This may be why Chillingham is Britain's most popular haunted castle these days. There are at least three of them: Shining Boy (appears in blue clothes), Tormentor Sage (seen in the torture room) and Lady Mary Berkeley (emerges from her portrait in the Gray Room).

One of the most unusual markets in the world is a dream for magicians and mediums of all stripes. The place, if not mystical, is certainly atmospheric, imbued with many legends. Most tourists visit the witch market simply out of curiosity. Where else can you see bizarre ritual objects, masks, dried snakes, spider legs and rare herbs? Local sorcerers - brujos - can tell fortunes, cleanse the aura and “cure” ailments. Mexicans also often come to the market - they take sorcerers quite seriously.

“Horror Restaurant”, “House of a Thousand Ghosts” - all this is about the T’Spookhuys establishment in the city of Turnhout. The restaurant was conceived as an attraction for lovers of mysticism: a gloomy interior, fog swirling on the floor, moving pictures, creaking doors, skulls instead of plates, an extraordinary menu and waiters in the role of vampires. At first, the owners' dark humor brought success - there was no end to customers. But a few years later, the restaurant acquired notoriety; they began to say that ghosts actually lived there. Now the establishment is abandoned, but the atmosphere and ominous aura have been preserved.

Loch Ness is a deep lake in the highlands of Scotland where, according to legend, a monster lives. Supposedly this is a creature reminiscent of a prehistoric lizard. One eyewitness described it as follows: 40 feet in length, 4 fins, the body smoothly merges into an elongated neck with small tubercles. There are quite a lot of people who claim to have seen the Loch Ness monster. More than three thousand cases have been recorded. There is even photo and video evidence. But there are also plenty of skeptics. The debate about whether there is a monster in the lake has lasted for decades and flares up with renewed vigor from time to time.

The Russian counterpart of the Loch Ness monster, according to legend, lives in Lake Kara-Kul in the Baltasinsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan. This is an elongated reservoir with an average depth of 8 meters and an area of ​​1.6 hectares. Translated from Tatar “kara-kul” means “black lake”. It is believed that the reservoir was previously surrounded by dense forest, which is why the water appeared black. Local residents have a legend about the bull-like water snake Su Ugez. If she appears to people, expect trouble - fire or famine. There is no documentary evidence of the presence of the monster in the lake. But superstitious people prefer to avoid it.

The lake is surrounded by eucalyptus forest, and is separated from the ocean by a narrow strip of land. But the main feature of the lake is that it is pink. The reason for such an unusual color of water has not been solved. It was assumed that the problem was specific algae, but this was not confirmed. But there is a beautiful legend that a sailor who was crippled but survived a shipwreck ended up on a desert island. He suffered from pain and hunger and asked heaven for deliverance, until finally a man came out of the forest with jugs of milk and blood. He poured them into the lake, and it acquired pink color. The sailor plunged into the scarlet water and got rid of pain and hunger. Forever.

This is a 15-meter cliff on the eastern shore of the Vatnsnes peninsula. Its shape resembles a water-drinking dragon. But, according to popular belief, this is a troll who went out to the sun and turned to stone. Scientists believe that Hvitserkur is the remains of an ancient volcano, eroded salty waters and destroyed by cold winds. To prevent the sea from completely destroying the figure, its base was reinforced with concrete. People from all over the world come to admire this rock. And sometimes the northern lights observed there give it additional mystery.

Other names are Weathering Pillars and Mansi Logos. These are mountain outcrops with a height of 30 to 42 meters on the territory of the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Reserve. It is believed that 200 million years ago there were high mountains in this place, but due to snow, frost and winds, only small pillars remained of them. There are many legends associated with them. According to one of them, the leader of the giant tribe wanted to marry the daughter of the leader of the Mansi tribe. Having received a refusal, the giant attacked the village. It’s good that the beauty’s brother arrived in time: he saved the village by turning the giants into stones with the help of a magic shield.

Sanzhi was supposed to be the city of the future. The luxury residential complex consists of futuristic houses shaped like “flying saucers.” An elegant staircase leads to each of the “plates”, and, according to the architects’ idea, you can go down from the second floor directly into the ocean or pool via a water slide. Huge amounts of money were allocated for construction. But the company that built San Zhi went bankrupt, and accidents at the construction site gave rise to unkind rumors. The complex was completed, but advertising could no longer change the glory of the “cursed place.” The city is abandoned. The authorities wanted to demolish it, but local residents were against it. They believe that San Zhi is a refuge for lost souls.

Not far from Almaty there is a three-kilometer dune with a height of 150 meters. It offers a beautiful view of the Ili River and purple mountains. In dry weather, the dune produces melodic sounds, like an organ. According to one legend, the shaitan, who was wandering around the world and plotting intrigues for people, turned into a dune. According to another version, Genghis Khan and his comrades are buried in the sands. The dune “sings” when the soul of the khan, “exhausted from mental anguish, tells his descendants about his exploits.” It is noteworthy that the dune does not wander across the plain, but stands in place for millennia, despite the unsteadiness of the sand and strong winds.

An anomalous desert on the border of the states of Durango, Chihuahua and Coahuila, where reception and registration of radio and sound signals is impossible. There the receivers stop working, the compass doesn't work and the clock stops. Scientists have tried several times to establish the cause of the anomalies, but their conclusions boil down to something like this: something is suppressing radio waves. The area, also nicknamed the “Tethys Sea” after the ancient ocean, has been associated with many mysterious incidents: from plane disappearances and missile crashes to evidence of strange travelers leaving scorched grass behind them and UFO landings.

525 Winchester Boulevard in San Jose has a bad reputation. There are 160 rooms and 6 kitchens on three floors. At the same time, many doors lead to dead ends, steps go to the ceiling, and windows go to the floor. Not a house, but a labyrinth! This architectural “miracle” was created by Sarah Winchester. Her father-in-law made weapons, for which, according to the woman, a curse was placed on their family. On the advice of a medium, she built a house for the souls of people whose lives were taken by the inventions of old man Winchester. According to rumors, house number 525 is actually haunted. But even without them, the gloomy layout gives visitors chills.

In the heart of Sorrento, at the bottom of the gorge that divides the city into two parts, there are the ruins of a medieval city, the highlight of which were water mills. Hence the name of the valley - Valle dei Mulini. The walls of the ancient mill have almost collapsed, the wheel is overgrown with moss - in the middle of a modern city it is like a fragment of another world. Perhaps that is why the Valley of Mills is one of the favorite attractions of fans of mysticism. They believe that the mill has otherworldly inhabitants. Allegedly, laughter is sometimes heard from the gorge, and a strange light is visible from the windows of the building.

37 km from the Curonian Spit ( Kaliningrad region) there is an unusual coniferous forest. Tree trunks are intricately curved and twisted into spirals. The forest was planted in 1961, and it is still unclear why the pines “started dancing.” According to one version, the trunks of still young trees are damaged by the caterpillars of the hibernating shoot. According to another, the reason lies in the geomagnetic effect of a tectonic fracture. Ufologists see the intervention of an alien intelligence in everything. In 2006, new trees were planted in the forest to see if they would bend. While the seedlings are growing straight.

This is a place in the English county of Kent where, according to legend, at least a dozen ghosts live. On the road from Pluckley to Maltman's Hill, a carriage drawn by four horses appears from time to time, the spirit of a colonel wanders through the pasture, and on one of the streets you can stumble upon the phantom of a hanged man. Each of the 12 ghosts has its own story. Local residents say that they have become accustomed to their “neighbors” from the other world and are no longer afraid of them. But many believe that the ghosts are a publicity stunt to attract tourists. True, it has not yet been possible to prove this, as well as the presence of ghosts.

Jihlava is a city in the southeast of the Czech Republic. One of its main attractions is the 25-kilometer catacombs. Once these were silver mines, then they began to be used for economic needs. In 1996, archaeologists worked in the catacombs and recorded that the sound of an organ was heard in the place indicated by the legends, and in one of the passages the researchers discovered a “luminous staircase” emitting a reddish light. Archaeologists were examined - mass hallucinations were excluded. The reasons for the mysterious phenomena are unknown.

On the island of Nuku Hiva, part of the Marquesas archipelago, in the town of Temehea-Tohua, statues of strange creatures were found. Disproportional bodies, elongated heads with large mouths and eyes. Archaeologists date the creation of the mysterious idols to approximately the 10th–11th centuries. Why did the Aboriginal people make them? According to the official version, these are monuments to priests wearing ritual masks. But it is strange that the masks themselves were not found on the island. Hence the assumption that Nuku Hiva was once visited by aliens, and local residents imprinted their appearance in stone.

This is a huge funnel with a diameter of 305 meters and a depth of 120 meters. Located in the center of Lighthouse Reef. In 1972, Jacques-Yves Cousteau established that it was originally a system of limestone caves that originated during the Ice Age. When the sea level rose, the roof of the cave collapsed and a karst sinkhole was formed. But there is an opinion that flooding could not have provoked destruction - the size is too large, the shape is too regular. There had to be an external influence, for example, a meteorite fall.

In autumn, on Lake Paasselka you can see lights wandering across the water surface. Some of them are spherical, others resemble flames. According to Finnish beliefs, they point to places where treasures are hidden. But they lure greedy people to depths from which it is difficult for even experienced swimmers to escape. Will-o'-the-wisps are also found in other parts of the planet, but they were captured on Paasselka. They say different things about the nature of the strange lights: either discharges of electricity in the atmosphere, or flammable methane coming out of the ground, or maybe traces of a UFO moving?

This is a picturesque reservoir with a length of 940 meters in the Dzau region of South Ossetia. Local residents often call it a “ghost lake”, since every 5-6 years all the water disappears from the lake and then returns back. According to legend, in the old days a greedy rich man lived on its shore. Angry peasants drowned him, and since then his greedy spirit periodically drinks all the water in the lake, and then falls into oblivion again. Geologists suggest that the water goes into karst caves under the bottom of the reservoir. Ufologists have their own version that there is an alien base under the lake.

An ancient city, flooded in 1959 as a result of the construction of a hydroelectric power station. Shichen, or "Lion City", was founded in 670. Five city gates with towers, six stone streets - everything was under water. The size of the Lion City is about 62 football fields. Surprisingly, even after half a century, the city is perfectly preserved, including wooden beams and steps, as if this “Chinese Atlantis” is inhabited and someone carefully maintains order there. The mysterious underwater kingdom is very popular among divers.

Located in the Pacific Ocean, 15 km from the city of Nagasaki. The Japanese call it “gunkanjima”, that is, “cruiser” - the island looks like a ship. In 1810, a coal deposit was found there. In the 1930s, Hashima was significant industrial center. In the second half of the twentieth century, more than 5 thousand people lived there. But coal reserves were melting, and along with them the population was declining. Currently, the abandoned island is partially open to the public. Tourists enjoy wandering among the gloomy buildings, listening to the stories of the guides. Hashima became one of the illustrations of the deserted world in the series “Life after People.”

A natural monument 134 km from Komsomolsk-on-Amur, glorified in legends. Granite pillars from 12 to 70 meters high stand on the slopes of the hill and have their own names: Shaman-stone, Walls, Bowl, Church, Crown, Heart, Turtle and others. Local residents talk about the strange aura of the stones, and shamans still perform rituals there. Scientists have made various assumptions about the origin of the Amur Pillars. According to one version, they are about 170 million years old and are the result of the activity of an underground volcano.

The town of Bomarzo is home to the ominous but beautiful “Sacred Forest,” or “Garden of Monsters.” The park has about thirty mythologically inspired sculptures and fantastic buildings covered with moss: an elephant devouring a man, a three-headed monster, a dragon dog, the gates of the underworld and others. All these are the fruits of the imagination of Pier Francesco Orsini, who decided to perpetuate the memory of his tragically deceased wife. The Orsini heirs did not take care of the park, and it acquired an ominous appearance. There were rumors that evil spirits were roaming there. But despite this, the park became a source of inspiration for Salvador Dali, Manuel Mujica Lainez and other creators.

Located in Colorado, near Rocky Mountain National Park. Built in the early 20th century, the hotel consists of 140 apartments and is believed to be haunted by ghosts, such as the ghost of a musician playing the piano. There have never been murders or other terrible events at the hotel, but the place is literally imbued with mysticism. It inspired Stephen King to write the book “The Shining,” which was later adapted into a TV series—the hotel itself served as the “scenery.” And Stanley Kubrick's feature film of the same name became one of the best horror films in cinema history.

This palace and castle complex is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The legend of the Black Lady is associated with it, the prototype of which is the cousin of the first owner of the castle, Barbara. Her lover’s mother did not bless their marriage, and when they finally got married secretly, she poisoned her daughter-in-law. The grief-stricken husband asked the alchemist to summon the spirit of his wife in order to look at her again. During a seance, the widower, in a fit of emotion, touched Barbara, which was absolutely forbidden to do. Since then, her ghost allegedly lives within the walls of Nesvizh Castle.

"Teotihuacan" means "city of the gods." This mysterious place is located 50 km from Mexico City. Now the city is deserted, but once it was inhabited by more than two hundred thousand people. The layout is striking: the regular lines of the streets form blocks and at the same time are strictly perpendicular to the main avenue. In the center of the city is a huge square with massive pyramids on platforms. Teotihuacan was built according to a carefully thought-out plan and flourished. But in the 7th century it was abandoned. Why is unclear. Either because of a foreign invasion, or because of a popular uprising.

In the middle of the sand dunes of the national park, dilapidated ships seem like phantoms. But these are real ships that were once caught in a storm and moored to the shore to wait out the storm. Due to the shifting sands, ships found themselves cut off from the water, often at quite a distance from the ocean. One of the most famous “prisoners” of the mysterious coast is the steamship “Eduard Bolen”, which found its last refuge about two centuries ago. The southern part of the Skeleton Coast is open to visitors and is of great interest to lovers of mysticism.

In 1947, the keeper of Australia's tallest lighthouse went fishing and never returned. And the new caretakers allegedly began to notice strange things: shuffling, heavy steps on the spiral staircase, sighs, door handles polished to a shine. Thus was born the legend that a ghost settled in the lighthouse. The Cape Hicks Lighthouse is currently open to visitors. There you can admire the local beauty and spend the night. Every year, thousands of tourists come to Hicks Point in hopes of seeing the ghost of the lighthouse keeper.

A seven-meter iron column, part of the architectural ensemble of Qutub Minar. This is one of the main attractions of Delhi. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that over the centuries it has hardly undergone corrosion. It was suggested that the reason for this was a special metal and a favorable climate. According to another version, the column was preserved because of the oils with which pilgrims wiped it. But none of the hypotheses has been officially confirmed: it is still unclear how in 415 it was possible to obtain the prototype of modern weather-resistant steel.

In the 50th apartment of house No. 10 on Bolshaya Sadovaya there is a museum of Mikhail Bulgakov. The writer lived there from 1921 to 1924, and it is believed that this particular place became the prototype of the apartment where the “Satan’s Ball” took place in the novel “The Master and Margarita.” The entire front door is covered with lines from the novel - visitors are immersed in an atmosphere of mysticism without even crossing the threshold. There is an urban legend that on moonless nights the sounds of a piano can be heard from the “bad apartment”, and strange silhouettes flash through its windows. Therefore, the museum is visited not only by fans of the writer, but also by lovers of mysticism, confident that Woland, the cat Behemoth and other characters are not fiction at all.