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"People refer to this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, the air from his lungs forming wisps of mist in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "So many individuals have gone missing here, some say there's a gateway to a parallel world." Marius is escorting a traveler on a night walk through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth native woodland on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of bizarre occurrences here go back a long time – this woodland is titled for a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the long ago, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a UFO hovering above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he adds, turning to the visitor with a grin. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from worldwide, eager to feel the unusual forces said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, known as the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and construction companies are campaigning for authorization to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Except for a few hectares home to area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius is confident that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the local administrators to appreciate the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

As twigs and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their shoes, Marius describes some of the local legends and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale recounts a young child vanishing during a family picnic, then to rematerialise half a decade later with no memory of the events, without aging a single day, her attire lacking the slightest speck of dust.
• Frequent accounts detail smartphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings vary from full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors state noticing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, hearing ghostly voices through the woodland, or sense hands grabbing them, although sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the tales may be hard to prove, there are many things clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are trees whose bases are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to explain the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the soil account for their unusual development.

But research studies have turned up inconclusive results.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's excursions allow guests to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the opening in the trees where Barnea captured his renowned UFO images, he hands his guest an ghost-hunting device which detects EMF readings.

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

The vegetation immediately cease as the group enters into a flawless round. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this strange clearing is wild, not the work of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a place which inspires creativity, where the division is blurred between truth and myth. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering creatures, who emerge from tombs to haunt nearby villages.

The famous author's renowned fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure perched on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – appears solid and predictable in contrast to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for reasons radioactive, climatic or purely mythical, a center for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide states, "the division between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."