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"Locals dub this location an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his exhalation forming wisps of vapor in the chilly evening air. "So many individuals have gone missing here, many believe it's a portal to a different realm." The guide is guiding a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth local woods on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of unusual events here date back hundreds of years – this woodland is called after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the distant past, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a UFO hovering above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But don't worry," he continues, facing his guest with a smirk. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from around the globe, eager to feel the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, known as the innovation center of the region – are advancing, and real estate firms are campaigning for approval to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Barring a limited section containing area-specific specific tree species, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, encouraging the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their footwear, Marius tells some of the local legends and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale describes a young child going missing during a group gathering, only to return half a decade later with no memory of the events, showing no signs of aging a single day, her attire shy of the tiniest bit of soil.
• Frequent accounts describe cellphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Reactions vary from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors state noticing unusual marks on their arms, hearing unseen murmurs through the forest, or feel hands grabbing them, even when sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

While many of the tales may be unverifiable, there is much visibly present that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are plants whose trunks are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been proposed to explain the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or naturally high radiation levels in the ground explain their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have turned up insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's excursions permit visitors to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the forest where Barnea photographed his famous UFO pictures, he hands the traveler an EMF meter which detects energy patterns.

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

The plants abruptly end as we emerge into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this strange clearing is organic, not the work of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a location which stirs the imagination, where the division is indistinct between reality and legend. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to frighten nearby villages.

The novelist's well-known fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building perched on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – feels real and understandable compared to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for reasons related to radiation, climatic or purely mythical, a hub for human imaginative power.

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