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"They call this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, his breath creating wisps of condensation in the chilly night air. "Countless individuals have gone missing here, many believe there's a gateway to a parallel world." The guide is guiding a traveler on a night walk through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth native woodland on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of strange happenings here date back centuries – the grove is titled for a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the distant past, accompanied by his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a UFO suspended above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But rest assured," he states, addressing the visitor with a grin. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, spiritual healers, ufologists and ghost hunters from across the world, curious to experience the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, this woodland is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and real estate firms are pushing for permission to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Except for a limited section containing locally rare specific tree species, this woodland is not officially protected, but the guide hopes that the initiative he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the government officials to acknowledge the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide tells various traditional stories and reported paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale recounts a little girl going missing during a family outing, later to return half a decade later with no memory of her experience, showing no signs of aging a day, her garments without the tiniest bit of soil.
• More common reports detail mobile phones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Emotional responses vary from complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Some people state observing strange rashes on their arms, perceiving ghostly voices through the trees, or sense hands grabbing them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the stories may be hard to prove, there are many things clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are plants whose trunks are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Multiple explanations have been proposed to account for the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased radiation levels in the soil explain their strange formation.

But research studies have turned up insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's excursions permit visitors to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the forest where Barnea captured his well-known UFO photographs, he passes the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which measures energy patterns.

"We're stepping into the most powerful part of the forest," he says. "See what you can find."

The trees suddenly stop dead as the group enters into a flawless round. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this unusual opening is wild, not the creation of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a location which fuels fantasy, where the border is indistinct between fact and folklore. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to frighten local communities.

The famous author's famous fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building located on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – seems tangible and comprehensible compared to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for reasons related to radiation, atmospheric or purely mythical, a hub for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius says, "the division between reality and imagination is extremely fine."