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"People refer to this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, his breath producing clouds of vapor in the chilly evening air. "Countless visitors have vanished here, some say it's an entrance to another dimension." Marius is leading a visitor on a night walk through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of ancient local woods on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Accounts of unusual events here date back centuries – the forest is titled for a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a flying saucer floating above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he states, facing the traveler with a smile. "Our guided walks have a flawless completion rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, shamans, ufologists and supernatural researchers from across the world, curious to experience the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be one of the world's premier hotspots for supernatural fans, the grove is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, called the tech capital of the region – are advancing, and construction companies are advocating for authorization to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a few hectares containing locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is not officially protected, but the guide is confident that the company he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the government officials to acknowledge the forest's significance as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

As twigs and fall foliage split and rustle beneath their footwear, Marius describes some of the traditional stories and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale recounts a five-year-old girl going missing during a group gathering, only to return after five years with complete amnesia of her experience, having not aged a day, her clothes without the tiniest bit of dirt.
• Regular stories describe smartphones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Emotional responses range from absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals claim observing strange rashes on their arms, perceiving disembodied whispers through the trees, or feel palms pushing them, although sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

While many of the tales may be hard to prove, there is much clearly observable that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are plants whose bases are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Various suggestions have been given to explain the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or typically increased radiation levels in the soil account for their strange formation.

But formal examinations have found insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

The guide's excursions permit participants to engage in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the opening in the trees where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO images, he gives his guest an electromagnetic field detector which measures energy patterns.

"We're venturing into the most powerful area of the forest," he states. "Try to detect something."

The trees suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this unusual opening is natural, not the result of landscaping.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a place which inspires creativity, where the division is blurred between fact and folklore. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing creatures, who emerge from tombs to terrorise nearby villages.

The famous author's renowned vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building situated on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – appears tangible and comprehensible versus this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for reasons nuclear, climatic or simply folkloric, a nexus for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," Marius comments, "the boundary between fact and fiction is very thin."