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"People refer to this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains a local guide, his exhalation forming wisps of vapor in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "Countless visitors have disappeared here, some say it's a portal to a parallel world." This expert is leading a traveler on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval indigenous forest on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of unusual events here date back a long time – the grove is named after a local shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, accompanied by his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a unidentified flying object suspended above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But don't worry," he continues, addressing the traveler with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a flawless completion rate."

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

Current Risks

Despite being a top global hotspots for supernatural fans, this woodland is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, known as the tech capital of eastern Europe – are expanding, and real estate firms are pushing for approval to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a limited section home to area-specific oak varieties, the grove is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the initiative he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, persuading the government officials to recognise the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their footwear, the guide describes numerous traditional stories and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale recounts a five-year-old girl disappearing during a family picnic, later to return five years later with complete amnesia of the events, showing no signs of aging a moment, her clothes without the tiniest bit of soil.
• Regular stories detail mobile phones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Reactions vary from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors state noticing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, detecting disembodied whispers through the trees, or experience fingers clutching them, despite being sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the stories may be hard to prove, there is much clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are trees whose trunks are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been suggested to explain the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or typically increased radiation levels in the earth account for their unusual development.

But formal examinations have found insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's excursions allow visitors to take part in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the trees where Barnea captured his renowned UFO pictures, he gives his guest an EMF meter which detects electromagnetic fields.

"We're stepping into the most active section of the forest," he states. "See what you can find."

The plants suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath our feet; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the creation of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a area which stirs the imagination, where the division is blurred between reality and legend. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to frighten regional populations.

Bram Stoker's renowned character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure situated on a rocky outcrop in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – seems real and understandable in contrast to these eerie woods, which appear to be, for factors radioactive, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a center for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide states, "the boundary between fact and fiction is very thin."