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"Locals dub this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a tour guide, his exhalation forming clouds of condensation in the chilly night air. "Numerous people have disappeared here, many believe there's a gateway to a different realm." Marius is leading a guest 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 primeval indigenous forest on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of bizarre occurrences here go back centuries – this woodland is named after a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a flying saucer hovering above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he states, addressing his guest with a smile. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has attracted meditation experts, shamans, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from worldwide, curious to experience the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is a top global hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are advancing, and developers are pushing for permission to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Except for a limited section housing regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but the guide is confident that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will help to change that, persuading the government officials to appreciate the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

As twigs and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius tells some of the folk tales and alleged supernatural events here.

• A well-known account tells of a little girl going missing during a group gathering, then to rematerialise after five years with no memory of what had happened, having not aged a single day, her garments shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• Frequent accounts describe mobile phones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Feelings vary from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors state observing unusual marks on their skin, perceiving disembodied whispers through the forest, or experience fingers clutching them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the stories may be hard to prove, there are many things before my eyes that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are plants whose bases are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been given to clarify the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the soil explain their unusual development.

But research studies have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's excursions enable visitors to engage in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the clearing in the woods where Barnea captured his renowned UFO pictures, he gives his guest an ghost-hunting device which detects EMF readings.

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

The trees abruptly end as the group enters into a complete ring. The only greenery is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's not maintained, and seems that this strange clearing is natural, not the creation of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a place which fuels fantasy, where the line is unclear between fact and folklore. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to haunt nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's well-known fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith located on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – feels real and understandable in contrast to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for causes radioactive, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a hub for fantasy projection.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius states, "the line between fact and fiction is extremely fine."