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"Locals dub this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states a local guide, his breath creating clouds of condensation in the cold evening air. "Countless individuals have disappeared here, it's thought it's a portal to a parallel world." This expert is escorting a visitor on a night walk through commonly known as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval indigenous forest on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here extend back centuries – this woodland is titled for a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea captured on film what he claimed was a UFO hovering above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But rest assured," he continues, facing the traveler with a grin. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, ufologists and ghost hunters from around the globe, curious to experience the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be a top global pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, described as the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and real estate firms are campaigning for permission to cut down the woods to build apartment blocks.

Except for a small area home to area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but the guide believes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, persuading the authorities to acknowledge the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

As twigs and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius recounts various traditional stories and reported supernatural events here.

• A well-known account tells of a little girl disappearing during a family picnic, only to reappear five years later with no recollection of her experience, without aging a day, her clothes without the tiniest bit of dirt.
• Regular stories describe cellphones and photography gear inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Reactions include complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals state noticing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, hearing unseen murmurs through the forest, or feel fingers clutching them, although sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

While many of the stories may be hard to prove, numerous elements clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are plants whose stems are bent and twisted into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been proposed to clarify the misshapen plants: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the soil cause their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's tours permit visitors to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the opening in the woods where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO pictures, he gives the visitor an ghost-hunting device which detects electromagnetic fields.

"We're stepping into the most energetic part of the forest," he states. "See what you can find."

The trees suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a flawless round. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this strange clearing is wild, not the creation of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a area which stirs the imagination, where the border is unclear between fact and folklore. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering creatures, who rise from their graves to terrorise regional populations.

The famous author's well-known vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith situated on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – seems tangible and comprehensible compared to this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for reasons related to radiation, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a hub for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius says, "the division between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."