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"They call this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a local guide, his exhalation creating wisps of condensation in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "Countless individuals have gone missing here, it's thought it's an entrance to another dimension." This expert is guiding a visitor on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth native woodland on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of unusual events here date back a long time – the grove is named after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, accompanied by his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a flying saucer floating above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But no need to fear," he continues, facing his guest with a smile. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, shamans, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from across the world, eager to feel the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is a top global hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and developers are pushing for authorization to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Barring a small area home to locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is without conservation status, but Marius believes that the organization he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the government officials to recognise the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

While branches and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their boots, the guide describes some of the traditional stories and claimed supernatural events here.

• One famous story describes a little girl going missing during a family picnic, then to return five years later with no recollection of what had happened, without aging a day, her clothes lacking the tiniest bit of dust.
• Regular stories describe smartphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Feelings vary from complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Certain individuals state seeing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, perceiving disembodied whispers through the woodland, or experience fingers clutching them, despite being sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the accounts may be unverifiable, there are many things clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are plants whose bases are warped and gnarled into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been given to explain the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the earth explain their strange formation.

But formal examinations have found insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's tours allow participants to engage in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the opening in the trees where Barnea took his well-known UFO pictures, he hands the traveler an ghost-hunting device which detects electromagnetic fields.

"We're entering the most active area of the forest," he comments. "Try to detect something."

The trees immediately cease as they step into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the work of landscaping.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a location which fuels fantasy, where the line is indistinct between truth and myth. In countryside villages superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering vampires, who return from burial sites to haunt regional populations.

Bram Stoker's famous fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith situated on a cliff edge in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – seems tangible and comprehensible in contrast to this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, climatic or entirely legendary, a center for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," the guide comments, "the line between reality and imagination is remarkably blurred."