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"People refer to this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains a local guide, his exhalation producing clouds of vapor in the cold evening air. "Countless people have vanished here, some say there's a gateway to another dimension." This expert is escorting a traveler on a night walk through what is often described as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth indigenous forest on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of bizarre occurrences here date back centuries – this woodland is named after a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a flying saucer hovering above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he states, facing the traveler with a grin. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from worldwide, eager to feel the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is a top global destinations for supernatural fans, this woodland is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, known as the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are pushing for approval to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Barring a small area housing locally rare oak varieties, the grove is without conservation status, but Marius believes that the initiative he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the local administrators to recognise the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their shoes, the guide recounts numerous local legends and reported supernatural events here.

• A well-known account tells of a five-year-old girl disappearing during a family outing, later to rematerialise half a decade later with complete amnesia of the events, without aging a moment, her garments without the smallest trace of soil.
• Regular stories detail smartphones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Feelings include absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Certain individuals state observing strange rashes on their bodies, hearing unseen murmurs through the trees, or feel palms pushing them, although sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the accounts may be unverifiable, there is much before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. All around are trees whose trunks are bent and twisted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been proposed to account for the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radioactivity in the soil account for their crooked growth.

But research studies have turned up inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks allow guests to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the trees where Barnea took his renowned UFO pictures, he passes the traveler an ghost-hunting device which measures energy patterns.

"We're stepping into the most energetic section of the forest," he states. "Discover what's here."

The trees immediately cease as the group enters into a flawless round. The only greenery is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this strange clearing is natural, not the result of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a place which stirs the imagination, where the division is unclear between truth and myth. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to haunt local communities.

The famous author's well-known character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith located on a stone formation in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – feels solid and predictable in contrast to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for factors related to radiation, environmental or entirely legendary, a center for creative energy.

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