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"People refer to this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his exhalation forming wisps of condensation in the crisp evening air. "Countless individuals have disappeared here, some say it's an entrance to a different realm." This expert is escorting a visitor on a evening stroll through commonly known as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth native woodland on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here extend back a long time – the forest is named after a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a unidentified flying object floating above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

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

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, spiritual healers, ufologists and supernatural researchers from around the globe, eager to feel the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be a top global destinations for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, called the Silicon Valley of the region – are encroaching, and construction companies are campaigning for authorization to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Except for a small area home to area-specific oak varieties, the grove is without conservation status, but the guide is confident that the company he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the authorities to recognise the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and fall foliage split and rustle beneath their footwear, the guide describes some of the traditional stories and reported ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account describes a little girl disappearing during a family picnic, then to return half a decade later with no recollection of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a single day, her clothes lacking the slightest speck of dirt.
• Regular stories describe mobile phones and imaging devices inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Reactions vary from complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Certain individuals report noticing strange rashes on their arms, detecting unseen murmurs through the trees, or sense fingers clutching them, even when convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there is much clearly observable that is undeniably strange. All around are plants whose stems are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been given to clarify the misshapen plants: strong gales could have altered the growth, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the ground account for their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's excursions allow visitors to take part in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the clearing in the trees where Barnea took his renowned UFO pictures, he passes the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which registers electromagnetic fields.

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

The plants abruptly end as we emerge into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this unusual opening is wild, not the result of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a location which inspires creativity, where the division is blurred between reality and legend. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting creatures, who rise from their graves to terrorise regional populations.

The famous author's famous character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith located on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – feels real and understandable versus these eerie woods, which appear to be, for causes radioactive, environmental or purely mythical, a nexus for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius says, "the line between reality and imagination is very thin."