Cavnic Gravity Hill

An illusion where the eyes meet the road, this point in Romania’s Maramureș County seemingly makes inanimate objects come to life. A car left in neutral begins to crawl uphill. A water bottle lying on the ground rolls forward.

Though it may seem like some sort of spooky gravity defying magic, it’s actually a trick of the eye. It’s a gravity hill, a spot where the surrounding land makes a downward incline look like an uphill path.

The simple explaination doesn’t stop folk tales though. Legend has it that a tragic event happened in Maramureș decades ago, where a bus filled with children crashed, leaving behind no survivors. The tale claims that ever since, the unsettled spirits of the children cause mischief and push cars up the hill.

Although the folk tales and theories about mystical energy phenomena are debunked, it’s no reason to miss this point. After all, your eyes won’t know the difference.