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"People refer to this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his breath producing puffs of condensation in the chilly evening air. "So many visitors have gone missing here, some say it's a portal to a different realm." Marius is guiding a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval indigenous forest on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here go back a long time – the grove is named after a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a UFO floating above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But don't worry," he continues, addressing the traveler with a smile. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, traditional medicine people, ufologists and ghost hunters from across the world, eager to feel the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be a top global destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are pushing for approval to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a small area home to regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the initiative he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the government officials to recognise the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

As twigs and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their footwear, the guide recounts various folk tales and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account tells of a young child going missing during a family outing, later to rematerialise half a decade later with no recollection of the events, showing no signs of aging a single day, her garments shy of the slightest speck of soil.
• More common reports detail smartphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Feelings include absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Some people report observing unusual marks on their bodies, hearing ghostly voices through the woodland, or sense palms pushing them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

While many of the accounts may be unverifiable, numerous elements before my eyes that is undeniably strange. All around are vegetation whose bases are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been suggested to account for the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the ground cause their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's walks enable visitors to participate in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the woods where Barnea photographed his famous UFO images, he gives the visitor an EMF meter which detects energy patterns.

"We're venturing into the most energetic part of the forest," he comments. "Try to detect something."

The trees immediately cease as they step into a complete ring. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this unusual opening is wild, not the creation of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a area which stirs the imagination, where the line is blurred between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing vampires, who emerge from tombs to frighten nearby villages.

The famous author's renowned fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a Saxon monolith located on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – appears real and understandable compared to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for reasons related to radiation, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a hub for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," the guide says, "the division between fact and fiction is extremely fine."