In 2012 internet-fueled terror struck many people around the world of impending doom that the Mayans had long since foretold. It was clear that on 21 December 2012, the earth was about to reverse its rotation - hurling everyone into space, or that the planet, Nibiru, was about to collide with earth, or something else ridiculously apocalyptic.

Burgarach in France has been one of the main places in Europe people have claimed to have seen UFOs. What happened here a decade ago is more absurd than the absurd comedies quoted below.

Bugarach In France

Bugarach is a tiny (but beautiful village in the South of France in the Pyrennes close to the border with Spain. It is a place that has been unfortunate to have attracted New Agers and esoterics questing for its aliens and salvation.

  • Population: 234
  • Mountain: 1,230 Meters - 4,035 Feet
  • Coordinates: 42°52′41″N 2°21′07″E

A Page Out Of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

But for some of these terrified souls, they found solace in the knowledge that they could make it off the doomed celestial sphere and be rescued by aliens. It kinda reminds one of Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy:

"People of Earth, As you will no doubt be aware, the plans for development of the outlying regions of the Galaxy require the building of a hyperspatial express route through your star system, and regrettably your planet is one of those scheduled for demolition. The process will take slightly less than two of your Earth minutes."

Fortunately, the book's hero's, Author and Ford, managed to hitchhike and catch a lift on a space freighter and managed to flee the earth's demolition.

But while the absurdity and satire of Hitchhiker's Guide are enough to keep readers in stitches, it is crazy to think that some people actually thought and acted on the belief that something analogous to that was actually about to happen.

Related: 10 Places To Search For Aliens (Outside Of Area 51)

Why People Thought Pic de Bugarach Would Be Their Salvation

It started in the 1960s and 70s when the mountain by the village called Pic de Bugarach became popular with the hippie movement and the with New Agers later on. The mountain's unusual geology attracted them and soon they believed that the "upside-down mountain" had mystical powers.

Just like the famous witch scene from Monty Python's 1975 movie Holy Grail, the logic was sound.

Monty Python's Logic To Find Out If The Woman Was A Witch:

  • Statement: "There Are Ways Of Telling Whether She Is A Witch"
  • Question: "So, Why do witches burn?"
  • Answer: "Because they are made of wood"
  • Question: "Does Wood Sink In Water?"
  • Answer: "No It Floats"
  • Question: What Else Floats In Water?"
  • Answer: "A Duck"
  • Logical Conclusion: "So Logically If The Woman Weighs The Same As A Duck, She's Made of Wood, And Therefore A Witch!"

Here the logic may have been a bit more: the mountain has unusual geology, therefore it's upside down, which means that it has mystical powers, and that means that aliens are living in the mountain in their spacecraft, so logically the adjacent village would be spared by aliens from the impending 2012 apocalypse foretold by the Maya.

  • Belief: New Agers Though Aliens Where Chilling In The Mountain In Southern France

What Happened In 2012 At Bugarach

One can understand Douglas Adam's book about the world being a mental asylum when The Independent reported that up to 100,000 people may have been planning a trip there in a quest for salvation.

The mayor of the closest town (Bugarach) reported that over 20,000 visitors had arrived between January and July 2011 and believed many more would be flooding in as the apocalypse neared. He also reported that groups were taking part in strange rituals.

  • Government Fears: There Were Real Cultic Fears Of What Could Have Happened There
  • French Police: French Police Blocked Off The Mountain
  • French Army: Was Nearly Called In by The Mayor

Some individuals even bought land in the mountain planning to build bunkers there. In the end, the French police even blocked access to the mountain out of fear that some of the groups were planning a mass suicide. At one point the mayor was evening considering calling in the army to help out with this concern.

It may come as a surprise, but there is no recorded evidence that aliens ever did emerge from their cozy little hiding place in the South of France. Nor did they get a ride off this world. They didn't even manage to hitchhike on a Vogan space freighter.

  • Result: No One Got A Lift With The Aliens

Related: What We Know About Area 51 And What We'd Like To Know If We Could Visit

Perhaps NASA Has The Real Prophetic Powers

Perhaps the real prophet with mystical powers to actually foretell the future is none other than NASA (maybe they found a crystal ball at the alien crash site at Roswell, New Mexico, or something). NASA posted and prophesied on its website:

"NASA is so sure the world won't come to an end on Dec. 21, 2012, they have already released this news item for the day after.

Dec. 22, 2012: If you're reading this story, it means one thing: The World Didn't End Yesterday.

According to media reports of an ancient Maya prophecy, the world was supposed to be destroyed on Dec. 21, 2012.

Apparently not."

Next: This Is The Weird History Of The Pag Triangle In Croatia (And Why So Many People Visit)