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"Locals dub this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his exhalation producing clouds of mist in the chilly night air. "Numerous people have vanished here, it's thought it's an entrance to another dimension." This expert is leading a traveler on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval local woods on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of strange happenings here go back a long time – this woodland is named after a local shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a unidentified flying object floating above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he states, addressing the traveler with a smile. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, ufologists and paranormal investigators from around the globe, curious to experience the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, described as the innovation center of the region – are advancing, and developers are pushing for permission to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a small area home to locally rare oak varieties, this woodland is without conservation status, but the guide is confident that the organization he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the local administrators to appreciate the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their shoes, Marius tells some of the folk tales and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale recounts a little girl going missing during a family picnic, then to return after five years with no memory of what had happened, having not aged a single day, her attire shy of the slightest speck of soil.
• Frequent accounts detail smartphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Feelings include absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Some people report observing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, perceiving unseen murmurs through the trees, or feel palms pushing them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Research Efforts

While many of the tales may be unverifiable, numerous elements visibly present that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are bent and twisted into fantastical shapes.

Various suggestions have been given to account for the deformed trees: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the earth cause their unusual development.

But formal examinations have found insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

The guide's walks permit participants to participate in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the trees where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO photographs, he passes the visitor an EMF meter which measures electromagnetic fields.

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

The plants immediately cease as we emerge into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this unusual opening is natural, not the creation of human hands.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a place which inspires creativity, where the line is blurred between truth and myth. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to frighten local communities.

Bram Stoker's renowned vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building perched on a stone formation in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – seems tangible and comprehensible compared to the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a nexus for fantasy projection.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide says, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is extremely fine."