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"Locals dub this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his exhalation creating puffs of mist in the chilly night air. "So many individuals have disappeared here, it's thought it's an entrance to a parallel world." This expert is guiding a traveler on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth indigenous forest on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of bizarre occurrences here date back centuries – this woodland is named after a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a UFO hovering above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he adds, facing his guest with a grin. "Our guided walks have a flawless completion rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, traditional medicine people, ufologists and paranormal investigators from worldwide, eager to feel the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be one of the world's premier hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the tech capital of the region – are expanding, and real estate firms are pushing for approval to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a small area containing locally rare oak varieties, the forest is lacking legal protection, but the guide hopes that the organization he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, encouraging the authorities to acknowledge the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their boots, Marius describes numerous traditional stories and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story describes a young child disappearing during a family picnic, then to return after five years with no memory of the events, having not aged a moment, her attire lacking the slightest speck of dirt.
• More common reports explain smartphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings range from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors state seeing unusual marks on their arms, perceiving unseen murmurs through the trees, or sense palms pushing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there is much clearly observable that is certainly unusual. All around are vegetation whose trunks are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been suggested to explain the misshapen plants: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the ground account for their strange formation.

But formal examinations have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's tours enable guests to participate in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the clearing in the woods where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO images, he gives the visitor an ghost-hunting device which detects EMF readings.

"We're venturing into the most active part of the forest," he comments. "See what you can find."

The trees immediately cease as we emerge into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the short grass beneath the ground; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and seems that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the work of landscaping.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a place which inspires creativity, where the division is indistinct between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing vampires, who emerge from tombs to frighten nearby villages.

The famous author's well-known character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building situated on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – seems tangible and comprehensible versus the haunted grove, which appear to be, for causes radioactive, climatic or entirely legendary, a center for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius comments, "the line between fact and fiction is very thin."