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"People refer to this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a local guide, his exhalation forming clouds of condensation in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "Numerous individuals have gone missing here, it's thought there's a gateway to a parallel world." Marius is escorting a visitor on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient native woodland on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of strange happenings here date back centuries – this woodland is titled for a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea captured on film what he claimed was a unidentified flying object suspended above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But rest assured," he continues, facing the visitor with a grin. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from worldwide, interested in encountering the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being a top global destinations for supernatural fans, the grove is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, called the innovation center of eastern Europe – are advancing, and real estate firms are campaigning for authorization to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a small area housing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is without conservation status, but the guide is confident that the company he helped establish – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the authorities to appreciate the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their shoes, Marius tells numerous traditional stories and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story tells of a five-year-old girl going missing during a family outing, later to rematerialise five years later with no recollection of her experience, having not aged a moment, her attire without the slightest speck of dust.
• Regular stories detail mobile phones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Reactions include absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors state observing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, detecting unseen murmurs through the forest, or sense palms pushing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

While many of the tales may be hard to prove, there is much clearly observable that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose stems are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Various suggestions have been given to clarify the deformed trees: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the earth explain their strange formation.

But formal examinations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's excursions enable guests to take part in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the clearing in the woods where Barnea photographed his famous UFO pictures, he passes the traveler an EMF meter which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're venturing into the most energetic section of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation abruptly end as we emerge into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the short grass beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the result of human hands.

The Blurred Line

The broader region is a location which inspires creativity, where the border is unclear between truth and myth. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting vampires, who return from burial sites to terrorise local communities.

Bram Stoker's well-known character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – an ancient structure perched on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – appears solid and predictable in contrast to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for causes related to radiation, atmospheric or purely mythical, a nexus for human imaginative power.

"Inside these woods," the guide comments, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is very thin."