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"People refer to this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his exhalation producing wisps of mist in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "So many people have disappeared here, it's thought it's an entrance to another dimension." This expert is guiding a guest on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth local woods on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of strange happenings here date back centuries – the forest is titled for a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the long ago, together with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a flying saucer hovering above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But no need to fear," he continues, facing the visitor with a smirk. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, traditional medicine people, ufologists and supernatural researchers from worldwide, curious to experience the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be among the planet's leading hotspots for supernatural fans, the grove is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, known as the Silicon Valley of the region – are encroaching, and construction companies are pushing for permission to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Except for a small area containing locally rare oak varieties, this woodland is not officially protected, but the guide believes that the company he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, encouraging the government officials to acknowledge the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

As twigs and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius tells numerous local legends and reported paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale tells of a five-year-old girl vanishing during a group gathering, only to reappear half a decade later with no memory of what had happened, without aging a day, her garments lacking the slightest speck of dirt.
• Regular stories explain smartphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Feelings include absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Some people claim observing strange rashes on their bodies, hearing unseen murmurs through the forest, or feel palms pushing them, despite being sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the stories may be hard to prove, there is much visibly present that is undeniably strange. Throughout the area are vegetation whose stems are bent and twisted into fantastical shapes.

Various suggestions have been given to explain the misshapen plants: strong gales could have altered the growth, or typically increased radiation levels in the earth cause their unusual development.

But research studies have found inconclusive results.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's walks permit participants to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the clearing in the woods where Barnea captured his renowned UFO photographs, he passes his guest an ghost-hunting device which detects electromagnetic fields.

"We're stepping into the most powerful area of the forest," he says. "Discover what's here."

The trees abruptly end as the group enters into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the creation of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a place which stirs the imagination, where the border is unclear between truth and myth. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, shapeshifting vampires, who rise from their graves to frighten nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's well-known fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith situated on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But even legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – appears solid and predictable versus the haunted grove, which appear to be, for factors related to radiation, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a nexus for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," the guide states, "the line between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."