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"People refer to this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains a local guide, his breath forming puffs of condensation in the cold dusk atmosphere. "Countless people have vanished here, it's thought it's an entrance to a parallel world." Marius is guiding a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval indigenous forest on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of strange happenings here date back hundreds of years – the grove is named after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a UFO floating above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he adds, facing the visitor with a grin. "Our tours have a flawless completion rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from worldwide, curious to experience the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is a top global hotspots for supernatural fans, the forest is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the tech capital of the region – are advancing, and developers are campaigning for authorization to cut down the woods to build apartment blocks.

Barring a small area housing area-specific oak varieties, this woodland is not officially protected, but Marius is confident that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their footwear, Marius tells some of the traditional stories and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story recounts a young child going missing during a family picnic, later to return five years later with complete amnesia of what had happened, without aging a moment, her clothes without the smallest trace of soil.
• More common reports detail cellphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses include absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Some people state noticing strange rashes on their skin, hearing ghostly voices through the woodland, or sense palms pushing them, even when sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the accounts may be hard to prove, there are many things visibly present that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been suggested to clarify the deformed trees: strong gales could have bent the saplings, or typically increased radioactivity in the soil account for their strange formation.

But formal examinations have turned up inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's excursions allow visitors to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the opening in the forest where Barnea took his well-known UFO photographs, he gives the visitor an ghost-hunting device which measures energy patterns.

"We're stepping into the most energetic area of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The trees abruptly end as we emerge into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this strange clearing is wild, not the result of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a place which inspires creativity, where the division is indistinct between truth and myth. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to haunt nearby villages.

The novelist's renowned character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – an ancient structure located on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – feels tangible and comprehensible in contrast to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for causes nuclear, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a nexus for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," the guide states, "the line between fact and fiction is extremely fine."