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"People refer to this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a local guide, his exhalation creating wisps of vapor in the chilly night air. "Numerous people have gone missing here, some say it's an entrance to a parallel world." The guide is escorting a visitor on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of ancient local woods on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of strange happenings here extend back centuries – this woodland is titled for a local shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a flying saucer floating above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he continues, addressing the visitor with a smirk. "Our excursions have a flawless completion rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted meditation experts, traditional medicine people, ufologists and supernatural researchers from across the world, eager to feel the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Although it is among the planet's leading destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the Silicon Valley of the region – are advancing, and construction companies are pushing for authorization to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Barring a small area home to regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is lacking legal protection, but Marius hopes that the organization he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, persuading the authorities to recognise the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their shoes, the guide describes numerous local legends and claimed supernatural events here.

• One famous story recounts a young child going missing during a group gathering, only to reappear half a decade later with no memory of the events, having not aged a moment, her attire shy of the slightest speck of dust.
• Frequent accounts detail smartphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Emotional responses range from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors report seeing unusual marks on their bodies, detecting disembodied whispers through the woodland, or experience fingers clutching them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the stories may be hard to prove, there is much visibly present that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been given to clarify the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the soil account for their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have found insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

The guide's tours allow participants to participate in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the clearing in the woods where Barnea took his well-known UFO photographs, he hands the traveler an EMF meter which measures electromagnetic fields.

"We're stepping into the most active part of the forest," he comments. "Try to detect something."

The plants suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a complete ring. The single plant life is the short grass beneath the ground; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this unusual opening is organic, not the work of people.

The Blurred Line

The broader region is a location which inspires creativity, where the border is unclear between truth and myth. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to haunt regional populations.

The famous author's well-known character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith perched on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – seems solid and predictable in contrast to these eerie woods, which seem to be, for reasons nuclear, atmospheric or purely mythical, a center for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," Marius states, "the line between truth and fantasy is very thin."