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"They call this place the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his exhalation producing wisps of condensation in the chilly night air. "Countless individuals have disappeared here, some say it's a portal to a parallel world." This expert is guiding a traveler on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient native woodland on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Stories of unusual events here go back centuries – the grove is called after a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the long ago, accompanied by his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a unidentified flying object suspended above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and never came out. But no need to fear," he adds, addressing the visitor with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a flawless completion rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, curious to experience the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is one of the world's premier hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is facing danger. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, known as the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and construction companies are campaigning for approval to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Except for a limited section housing regionally uncommon specific tree species, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the organization he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, encouraging the government officials to acknowledge the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

As twigs and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their footwear, the guide describes numerous traditional stories and reported paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story describes a five-year-old girl vanishing during a group gathering, later to return half a decade later with no recollection of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a single day, her attire without the tiniest bit of dirt.
• Regular stories describe cellphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses range from full-blown dread to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors claim observing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, hearing disembodied whispers through the trees, or feel hands grabbing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the accounts may be hard to prove, there is much clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are vegetation whose trunks are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been proposed to clarify the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or typically increased radioactivity in the soil account for their crooked growth.

But research studies have found insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's walks enable visitors to engage in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the woods where Barnea took his renowned UFO images, he passes his guest an ghost-hunting device which measures electromagnetic fields.

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

The vegetation suddenly stop dead as they step into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and seems that this unusual opening is natural, not the creation of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a area which inspires creativity, where the line is blurred between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to haunt regional populations.

Bram Stoker's famous fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure perched on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – feels real and understandable in contrast to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for reasons related to radiation, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a hub for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius states, "the boundary between reality and imagination is extremely fine."