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"People refer to this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, the air from his lungs creating puffs of mist in the crisp evening air. "Countless individuals have vanished here, it's thought it's a portal to another dimension." The guide is leading a visitor on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth native woodland on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of bizarre occurrences here extend back centuries – the forest is named after a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a UFO floating above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But rest assured," he adds, facing the traveler with a grin. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, spiritual healers, ufologists and paranormal investigators from across the world, eager to feel the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is a top global hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, known as the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are expanding, and developers are advocating for approval to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a few hectares containing regionally uncommon specific tree species, the forest is lacking legal protection, but Marius hopes that the organization he helped establish – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the authorities to acknowledge the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their shoes, Marius describes numerous local legends and claimed supernatural events here.

• A well-known account describes a little girl going missing during a family picnic, only to return half a decade later with no recollection of the events, having not aged a day, her attire lacking the smallest trace of dirt.
• Frequent accounts explain mobile phones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses vary from complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals state observing unusual marks on their bodies, hearing unseen murmurs through the forest, or experience hands grabbing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

While many of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there is much visibly present that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are trees whose stems are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been given to explain the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the earth account for their crooked growth.

But research studies have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's tours permit visitors to engage in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the opening in the forest where Barnea took his well-known UFO images, he passes the visitor an EMF meter which detects electromagnetic fields.

"We're venturing into the most energetic area of the forest," he says. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation abruptly end as we emerge into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and seems that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the work of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a area which fuels fantasy, where the division is blurred between reality and legend. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to haunt local communities.

The novelist's renowned vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith situated on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But even legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – seems tangible and comprehensible compared to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for causes related to radiation, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a hub for human imaginative power.

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