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"People refer to this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states a local guide, the air from his lungs producing clouds of condensation in the crisp evening air. "So many visitors have gone missing here, many believe there's a gateway to a different realm." Marius is leading a traveler on a evening stroll through what is often described as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient indigenous forest on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of bizarre occurrences here go back hundreds of years – the grove is titled for a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea captured on film what he claimed was a UFO floating above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But don't worry," he continues, turning to his guest with a grin. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from worldwide, eager to feel the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is one of the world's premier hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is facing danger. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, described as the tech capital of eastern Europe – are advancing, and developers are pushing for authorization to cut down the woods to build apartment blocks.

Except for a limited section home to locally rare oak varieties, this woodland is not officially protected, but the guide hopes that the organization he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, motivating the government officials to appreciate the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their shoes, Marius recounts numerous local legends and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story describes a little girl going missing during a family picnic, later to rematerialise after five years with no recollection of what had happened, without aging a day, her attire shy of the slightest speck of soil.
• Regular stories describe mobile phones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings vary from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Certain individuals state noticing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, perceiving unseen murmurs through the forest, or experience palms pushing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the accounts may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements clearly observable that is certainly unusual. All around are vegetation whose bases are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been suggested to clarify the deformed trees: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the ground account for their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's excursions enable visitors to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the opening in the forest where Barnea captured his renowned UFO images, he hands his guest an ghost-hunting device which measures EMF readings.

"We're entering the most active section of the forest," he comments. "Try to detect something."

The vegetation immediately cease as they step into a complete ring. The only greenery is the short grass beneath our feet; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the creation of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a location which inspires creativity, where the division is unclear between reality and legend. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting creatures, who return from burial sites to haunt regional populations.

The novelist's well-known character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure situated on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – seems tangible and comprehensible compared to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for factors radioactive, climatic or purely mythical, a nexus for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius states, "the division between reality and imagination is very thin."