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"They call this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his exhalation producing puffs of condensation in the cold evening air. "Numerous people have vanished here, some say it's a portal to a parallel world." The guide is guiding a visitor on a night walk through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval local woods on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of bizarre occurrences here date back hundreds of years – the forest is titled for a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a flying saucer floating above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he continues, addressing the traveler with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from around the globe, eager to feel the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be among the planet's leading destinations for supernatural fans, the grove is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, called the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and real estate firms are pushing for approval to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Barring a small area containing regionally uncommon oak varieties, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but the guide believes that the organization he helped establish – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, motivating the local administrators to appreciate the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

As twigs and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their shoes, Marius describes numerous local legends and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale describes a five-year-old girl vanishing during a group gathering, later to reappear half a decade later with no memory of her experience, having not aged a moment, her attire shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• Regular stories describe smartphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings range from full-blown dread to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors state observing unusual marks on their arms, perceiving ghostly voices through the woodland, or feel hands grabbing them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the stories may be impossible to confirm, there is much clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are plants whose stems are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been suggested to explain the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the earth account for their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have found insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's walks allow guests to engage in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the clearing in the trees where Barnea took his famous UFO photographs, he passes his guest an ghost-hunting device which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're stepping into the most energetic area of the forest," he states. "Try to detect something."

The plants immediately cease as we emerge into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the short grass beneath our feet; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and appears that this strange clearing is wild, not the work of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a location which inspires creativity, where the division is unclear between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting vampires, who rise from their graves to haunt nearby villages.

The novelist's well-known fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure situated on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – appears solid and predictable versus the haunted grove, which seem to be, for causes radioactive, climatic or entirely legendary, a center for creative energy.

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