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"They call this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his exhalation forming puffs of mist in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "So many individuals have gone missing here, many believe there's a gateway to another dimension." This expert is escorting a traveler on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient local woods on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here extend back a long time – this woodland is named after a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the distant past, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a unidentified flying object hovering above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But no need to fear," he continues, turning to the visitor with a smile. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, shamans, ufologists and supernatural researchers from worldwide, eager to feel the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being a top global destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, called the innovation center of eastern Europe – are advancing, and developers are pushing for approval to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a limited section housing regionally uncommon oak varieties, the forest is without conservation status, but Marius is confident that the company he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, motivating the authorities to acknowledge the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their boots, Marius recounts some of the local legends and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account recounts a five-year-old girl going missing during a family outing, then to reappear after five years with complete amnesia of what had happened, having not aged a moment, her garments lacking the smallest trace of dust.
• Regular stories detail mobile phones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Emotional responses vary from absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Some people state noticing unusual marks on their skin, perceiving disembodied whispers through the forest, or feel hands grabbing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the accounts may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements before my eyes that is undeniably strange. All around are trees whose stems are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Multiple explanations have been proposed to explain the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or typically increased radiation levels in the ground account for their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have discovered inconclusive results.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's walks permit visitors to take part in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the forest where Barnea took his renowned UFO photographs, he hands the traveler an EMF meter which measures energy patterns.

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

The trees abruptly end as we emerge into a complete ring. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the work of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a place which inspires creativity, where the line is unclear between reality and legend. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing vampires, who rise from their graves to haunt regional populations.

Bram Stoker's renowned fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – an ancient structure situated on a stone formation in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – seems solid and predictable versus this spooky forest, which appear to be, for causes related to radiation, climatic or entirely legendary, a nexus for creative energy.

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