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"People refer to this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks a tour guide, the air from his lungs forming clouds of mist in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "Countless people have vanished here, it's thought it's an entrance to another dimension." The guide is guiding a traveler on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval native woodland on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Stories of unusual events here extend back a long time – the grove is titled for a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a unidentified flying object hovering above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But don't worry," he states, facing his guest with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a flawless completion rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, shamans, ufologists and supernatural researchers from worldwide, eager to feel the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being a top global hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, described as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and construction companies are pushing for permission to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Barring a limited section containing area-specific specific tree species, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, persuading the government officials to acknowledge the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their shoes, the guide tells various folk tales and claimed supernatural events here.

• A well-known account recounts a five-year-old girl disappearing during a group gathering, then to return half a decade later with no memory of what had happened, without aging a day, her clothes lacking the smallest trace of dust.
• Frequent accounts detail cellphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses vary from complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Certain individuals report noticing unusual marks on their bodies, perceiving ghostly voices through the forest, or experience fingers clutching them, although sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there are many things before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been suggested to explain the abnormal growth: strong gales could have altered the growth, or naturally high radioactivity in the ground account for their strange formation.

But formal examinations have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

The guide's tours allow visitors to participate in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the opening in the forest where Barnea captured his well-known UFO images, he passes the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which detects electromagnetic fields.

"We're entering the most powerful section of the forest," he comments. "See what you can find."

The plants suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this strange clearing is wild, not the result of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a location which inspires creativity, where the division is indistinct between fact and folklore. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing vampires, who emerge from tombs to haunt local communities.

The famous author's well-known character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building located on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – feels solid and predictable versus this spooky forest, which seem to be, for reasons radioactive, climatic or entirely legendary, a nexus for human imaginative power.

"Inside these woods," the guide comments, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."