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"They call this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a local guide, his breath producing puffs of vapor in the crisp night air. "So many visitors have vanished here, it's thought there's a gateway to another dimension." Marius is guiding a traveler on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth native woodland on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Stories of strange happenings here date back hundreds of years – the grove is called after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the long ago, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a flying saucer suspended above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But rest assured," he states, turning to the traveler with a grin. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from around the globe, curious to experience the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be among the planet's leading destinations for lovers of the paranormal, this woodland is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and real estate firms are campaigning for approval to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Barring a limited section containing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is without conservation status, but the guide hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, motivating the authorities to appreciate the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their footwear, the guide tells some of the folk tales and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account tells of a young child going missing during a family picnic, only to return after five years with no recollection of her experience, without aging a single day, her attire lacking the smallest trace of dust.
• Regular stories explain mobile phones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Reactions range from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Some people claim observing strange rashes on their arms, hearing unseen murmurs through the woodland, or experience fingers clutching them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

While many of the stories may be impossible to confirm, there is much clearly observable that is certainly unusual. All around are trees whose stems are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Multiple explanations have been given to account for the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the ground explain their strange formation.

But research studies have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's tours enable participants to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the forest where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO images, he hands the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which detects EMF readings.

"We're entering the most powerful section of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The trees immediately cease as the group enters into a flawless round. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this strange clearing is wild, not the result of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a place which fuels fantasy, where the line is unclear between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting vampires, who return from burial sites to haunt local communities.

The novelist's renowned character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building situated on a rocky outcrop in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – seems solid and predictable in contrast to the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for causes nuclear, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a hub for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," Marius comments, "the line between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."