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"They call this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his breath forming wisps of mist in the cold night air. "Countless individuals have gone missing here, many believe it's a portal to another dimension." Marius is guiding a guest on a evening stroll through what is often described as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval native woodland on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of unusual events here go back a long time – the forest is titled for a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the long ago, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a unidentified flying object floating above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But no need to fear," he continues, turning to the traveler with a smirk. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from across the world, eager to feel the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is facing danger. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are expanding, and construction companies are advocating for approval to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Barring a small area housing locally rare specific tree species, the forest is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the company he helped establish – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the authorities to recognise the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

While branches and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius recounts numerous traditional stories and reported supernatural events here.

• A popular tale recounts a five-year-old girl disappearing during a family picnic, later to reappear after five years with complete amnesia of what had happened, without aging a moment, her attire shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• Regular stories explain cellphones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Reactions vary from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Some people state noticing unusual marks on their bodies, hearing ghostly voices through the woodland, or feel palms pushing them, even when convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the tales may be hard to prove, there are many things clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are trees whose stems are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Multiple explanations have been given to account for the deformed trees: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radioactivity in the earth explain their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's walks permit participants to engage in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the meadow in the woods where Barnea captured his well-known UFO pictures, he hands the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're entering the most energetic part of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The plants abruptly end as they step into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the result of human hands.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a area which inspires creativity, where the division is indistinct between fact and folklore. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering creatures, who emerge from tombs to frighten nearby villages.

The famous author's famous fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building located on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – seems tangible and comprehensible in contrast to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for causes related to radiation, climatic or entirely legendary, a hub for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius states, "the division between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."