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"People refer to this location an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks a tour guide, his exhalation producing puffs of vapor in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "Countless people have disappeared here, many believe it's a portal to a parallel world." Marius is escorting a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval local woods on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of unusual events here date back a long time – the grove is called after a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a flying saucer hovering above a round opening in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But rest assured," he continues, facing his guest with a smile. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, spiritual healers, ufologists and supernatural researchers from across the world, eager to feel the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are pushing for authorization to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Barring a few hectares containing regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the company he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, motivating the local administrators to recognise the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius tells numerous folk tales and alleged supernatural events here.

• A popular tale tells of a five-year-old girl disappearing during a family outing, then to return after five years with complete amnesia of her experience, showing no signs of aging a day, her attire without the smallest trace of dirt.
• Frequent accounts explain cellphones and imaging devices inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Feelings range from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals claim seeing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, perceiving unseen murmurs through the forest, or feel fingers clutching them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the stories may be unverifiable, numerous elements before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are trees whose bases are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been suggested to account for the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the earth account for their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have discovered inconclusive results.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's excursions permit visitors to participate in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the forest where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO images, he hands the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which detects electromagnetic fields.

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

The vegetation immediately cease as the group enters into a complete ring. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this strange clearing is wild, not the result of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a place which stirs the imagination, where the line is blurred between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering creatures, who rise from their graves to haunt local communities.

Bram Stoker's famous fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a Saxon monolith perched on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – appears real and understandable compared to these eerie woods, which seem to be, for causes radioactive, climatic or simply folkloric, a center for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," the guide states, "the division between reality and imagination is very thin."