For many years now, Bor Forest in the Czech Republic is said to house many haunting stories. Everything from strange ghostly legends from Slavic folklore to strange things that went down during the communist regime after the second world war.
Bor Forest, also known as Branišovský les, stands as a silent witness to a myriad of chilling legends and mysterious occurrences in the heart of South Bohemia, near České Budějovice. Bor means pine and the forest is spanning approximately 300 hectares, this mixed forest has gained notoriety for its tragic events, whispers of supernatural entities, and inexplicable phenomena.
It has undergone significant transformations throughout time, serving various purposes such as an excursion forest park, shooting range, and military area close to the Polish border. The landscape features diverse tree species, with the northeastern part covered in spruce mixed with oak, while the southwestern region is dominated by pine trees.
Bor Forest’s reputation for paranormal activity rests on numerous legends and reported encounters. The forest is believed to be haunted by a variety of entities, each contributing to the eerie aura that envelops the area.
The Military Tragedy in Bor Forest
Once upon a time, often set to the 1960 to 80s, there was a military base stationed in Bor Forest to guard the local storage for their ammunition. It is said that four soldiers were patrolling close to the former guard post and one of the pair was taking over the nightshift when something happened. According to the stories, one of the soldiers started to change, like another being, something monstrous. Another version tells that the soldiers got scared from “The Horror of the Forest”.
This caused chaos among the soldiers that started shooting and three of them ended up dead and the last one died from the wounds later at Budweiser Military Hospital where he managed to tell a little bit about what happened, but not enough to end the mystery.
What really happened then is hard to tell. Some say it was more of an internal thing and that stress caused some of the soldiers to take their own life. Some say that it really did happen, but it was in a completely different place and was an argument and jealousy that caused the shooting.
There were no writings about this in the newspapers or other media. Seeing that the Czech Republic was under the Soviet Union and heavily censored could also be an explanation as to why there is not more written about this except from the local gossip. Even to this day, a lot of these documents are still classified.
But what could it have been, this horror from Bor Forest that the story talks about. As it turns out, there could be more than one supernatural and dark thing that the soldiers came face to face with.
The Haunted Swamps and the Vodník
References to Bor Forest go back at least 400 years. One of the stories circulating around the Bor forest is about the swamps and waters in the forest. They used to be much bigger than today, and many travelers ended their life in these waters throughout time. It is said that the souls of these people were trapped close to the waters and they stayed to haunt them, trying to lure bypasses to join them in death.
Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Haunted Forests around the world
Some of the early swamps or waters were also said to have a Vodník living there, a sort of sea spirit, or water man from Slavic folklore living in water, much like the German nixon or the Scottish kelpie.
Vodník was said to look much like a man with green hair, but his bride was often a mermaid or a girl he drowned. He was also known for luring children and women to the water by hanging colorful ribbons or mirrors around or shapeshifting to a child and then drowning the one trying to rescue him.
The Black Man
A sound often reported on in Bor Forest is the sound of footsteps in the dry leaves or heavy snow. The sound of the steps have chased many people through the forest and many believe that it is most likely the step coming from the Black Man.
Described as a tall figure with a broad black hat and a flowing black cape, the Black Man is also called the Black Knight and even The Lord of the Forest. He has been witnessed floating above the ground, moving with unnatural speed. Some claim to have heard soft music preceding the appearance of this enigmatic figure, accompanied by a sudden drop in temperature.
The first written reports about the entity was in 1993, and the nest in 1994 and he is mostly sighted around The Black Pillar, a memorial for something people don’t remember. Today it is an integral part of the lore of the Forest.
Another story coming from the 90s is also the rumor for people seeing mysterious red eyes hovering about two meters above the ground after nightfall have been reported by witnesses. The first written account was in 1998. Contrary to explanations attributing them to car taillights, some claim these eyes approached them or even pursued them through the forest.
The White Lady
As with most haunted places in Europe, it wouldn’t be complete without its own Woman in White, and the haunted Bor forest is no exception.
The apparition of a woman in white is tied to a tragic tale of a murdered resident haunting a nearby building, unable to find peace even in death.
It is also said that a young girl is haunting the woods after taking her life in an abandoned farmhouse between České Budějovice and Branišov. Although there is not really any proof that such a thing ever happened in the farmhouse.
The Hanged Man’s Tree
Another story told about Bor Forest is the strange tree said to have taken the lives of many. In 1927 a young couple checked into the new and luxurious Hotel Praha in Branišov. The building is today used as an office for the city council.
The couple went on their way on a hike into the forest, but never returned. When a search party was sent out, they found them hanging in a tree in the midst of the forest. Not much was said about the tree itself until another woman was found hanging in the same tree not too long after.
Mr. Kříž was a local man and decided to take matters into his own hands and went into the forest and cut the deadly branch from the tree and brought it home to burn it. Not too far after this, he ended in an accident and his hand he used to cut the branch off with ended up paralyzed. This alarmed the rest of the townspeople that went to the tree, cut it all up and burned it to the ground.
Although the descendant of Mr. Kříž claims there was no paranormal story connected to the tree, or that there were no accidents after he cut off the branch, the story about it lives on. The tree is gone, it is said that people have heard a voice coming from the place where the tree once stood. The voice is beckoning them to it, encouraging whoever is passing to take their own life.
Time Warps and Unexplained Events:
One of the most perplexing phenomena reported in Bor Forest involves time warps. In the 1960s, one of the residents of U Pěti zlodějů (also named Jednoty, on older maps) was cycling home from České Budějovice, around 6:00 p.m. As he rode through the dusty, unpaved Bor Forest, he experienced an unusual phenomenon.
The entire forest seemed to undulate before him and he got off his bike. He noticed that the road and gravel beneath his feet were in motion. Exiting the forest and passing through Branišov, he was surprised to find no lights in any of the windows, even though it was barely 7:00 p.m. Upon reaching home, he discovered it was 3:00 a.m. The one-hour journey had inexplicably taken nine hours.
The Strange City
Another story about time is when two women walked through Bor, and one of them suddenly ran into the bushes. When she didn’t return for a prolonged period, the other went to look for her. To her surprise, there was no trace of the friend. Just as she wondered where she might have gone, the missing woman reappeared seemingly out of nowhere.
She recounted a strange experience of a green mist enveloping her, parting to reveal an unknown landscape filled with vibrant, intense colors and a distant golden city. A man in black approached her, placed a hand on her forehead, and pushed her back into Bor Forest. While she spent a few minutes in an unfamiliar place, her friend waited in the forest for three-quarters of an hour.
The UFO-Crash
It is certainly a strange place with a lot of old legends. But the strange and mysterious stories from newer times are just as haunting, especially as a lot of information from its time as a closed off communist country hides a lot of the information.
One time, there was an unknown object that crashed in the area and it was closed off for a year by a special unit. Even the local military was denied access to it. When the area finally opened again, many of the trees looked damaged, like something had crashed close to them. What could it be? The firemen claim that the trees caught fire around the year 2000. A witness said that it could have been more likely an airplane or helicopter that crashed in the area, although of course the local gossip is that a UFO landed there, and that the information surrounding this is still top secret.
Branišovský les and its Haunting Allure
Bor Forest, with its haunting mysteries and supernatural tales, invites those brave enough to explore its depths. As legends intertwine with the natural beauty of the landscape, Bor Forest remains an enigmatic realm where reality and the paranormal blur into a tapestry of chilling narratives. Venture forth, if you dare, and immerse yourself in the unsettling allure of Bor Forest’s haunted legacy.
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References:
paranormaltym.cz – Paranormal Investigation – Case No.12 | Forest Bor (2015)
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Strašidelný Branišovský les: Proč se mu lidé vyhýbají obloukem? – Lifee.cz
