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"Locals dub this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a local guide, his exhalation forming wisps of vapor in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "So many individuals have vanished here, some say there's a gateway to another dimension." This expert is guiding a visitor on a evening stroll through commonly known as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth indigenous forest on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here date back a long time – this woodland is called after a local shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the long ago, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a flying saucer hovering above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But rest assured," he adds, facing the traveler with a grin. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from around the globe, interested in encountering the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be among the planet's leading hotspots for supernatural fans, the forest is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, known as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are expanding, and real estate firms are pushing for permission to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a few hectares containing locally rare specific tree species, the forest is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, persuading the government officials to appreciate the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

As twigs and fall foliage split and rustle beneath their footwear, Marius recounts some of the traditional stories and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account recounts a five-year-old girl going missing during a family picnic, only to reappear half a decade later with complete amnesia of the events, having not aged a moment, her garments without the smallest trace of dust.
• Frequent accounts describe mobile phones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Feelings range from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals state observing strange rashes on their bodies, perceiving disembodied whispers through the woodland, or sense fingers clutching them, even when sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the stories may be hard to prove, numerous elements visibly present that is certainly unusual. All around are trees whose stems are warped and gnarled into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been proposed to account for the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the ground explain their strange formation.

But formal examinations have turned up insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks allow guests to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the clearing in the trees where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO photographs, he passes his guest an ghost-hunting device which registers EMF readings.

"We're entering the most powerful part of the forest," he comments. "See what you can find."

The trees abruptly end as they step into a complete ring. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this unusual opening is natural, not the result of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a location which stirs the imagination, where the line is blurred between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to frighten local communities.

The novelist's well-known character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building located on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – seems real and understandable in contrast to this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for factors nuclear, climatic or purely mythical, a hub for creative energy.

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