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"They call this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states a local guide, his breath producing clouds of vapor in the crisp evening air. "Numerous people have vanished here, it's thought it's a portal to a different realm." The guide is guiding a visitor on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval local woods on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of strange happenings here date back a long time – the grove is called after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a unidentified flying object hovering above a oval meadow in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But no need to fear," he adds, addressing the traveler with a smile. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, spiritual healers, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from across the world, interested in encountering the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is a top global pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, known as the tech capital of the region – are expanding, and real estate firms are campaigning for authorization to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Barring a few hectares containing locally rare oak varieties, the grove is lacking legal protection, but Marius is confident that the company he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, persuading the local administrators to appreciate the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their shoes, the guide describes numerous local legends and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account recounts a young child disappearing during a group gathering, then to return half a decade later with no recollection of what had happened, without aging a moment, her clothes shy of the smallest trace of dust.
• More common reports detail smartphones and photography gear inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Feelings range from absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals claim seeing unusual marks on their skin, detecting unseen murmurs through the woodland, or feel fingers clutching them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the accounts may be unverifiable, there are many things visibly present that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are vegetation whose bases are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been suggested to clarify the abnormal growth: strong gales could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the ground account for their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's excursions enable visitors to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the opening in the forest where Barnea captured his well-known UFO photographs, he hands the visitor an ghost-hunting device which measures EMF readings.

"We're entering the most powerful section of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The plants immediately cease as they step into a flawless round. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this strange clearing is wild, not the work of landscaping.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a place which stirs the imagination, where the division is unclear between reality and legend. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to terrorise local communities.

The famous author's well-known character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building perched on a stone formation in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – seems tangible and comprehensible compared to the haunted grove, which appear to be, for factors related to radiation, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a nexus for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide says, "the line between truth and fantasy is extremely fine."