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"People refer to this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains a local guide, his exhalation creating puffs of mist in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "So many visitors have disappeared here, many believe it's an entrance to a parallel world." The guide is escorting a traveler on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth indigenous forest on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of strange happenings here date back a long time – the grove is titled for a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a UFO floating above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But rest assured," he adds, turning to his guest with a smile. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from across the world, interested in encountering the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Although it is among the planet's leading destinations for supernatural fans, the grove is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, described as the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are pushing for permission to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a few hectares home to area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but the guide is confident that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, persuading the government officials to appreciate the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and fall foliage split and rustle beneath their shoes, the guide tells various folk tales and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account describes a five-year-old girl vanishing during a family outing, only to rematerialise half a decade later with complete amnesia of the events, showing no signs of aging a day, her attire without the smallest trace of soil.
• More common reports detail smartphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses vary from full-blown dread to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors state noticing unusual marks on their skin, perceiving disembodied whispers through the woodland, or sense fingers clutching them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the accounts may be unverifiable, there are many things before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are vegetation whose stems are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been given to explain the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or naturally high radiation levels in the earth account for their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have turned up insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's excursions allow participants to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the trees where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO photographs, he passes the visitor an ghost-hunting device which measures EMF readings.

"We're venturing into the most active part of the forest," he comments. "Try to detect something."

The vegetation immediately cease as they step into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the result of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a area which fuels fantasy, where the border is blurred between fact and folklore. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing vampires, who emerge from tombs to haunt local communities.

The famous author's famous vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building perched on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – seems real and understandable compared to these eerie woods, which seem to be, for factors nuclear, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a nexus for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius says, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is very thin."