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"They call this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, his breath creating clouds of mist in the cold dusk atmosphere. "Numerous individuals have vanished here, many believe there's a gateway to a parallel world." The guide is guiding a guest on a night walk through what is often described as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth native woodland on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of strange happenings here go back centuries – the grove is named after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a unidentified flying object suspended above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But rest assured," he states, addressing his guest with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from worldwide, interested in encountering the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be a top global hotspots for supernatural fans, the forest is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the innovation center of the region – are encroaching, and real estate firms are pushing for permission to cut down the woods to build apartment blocks.

Except for a small area housing regionally uncommon oak varieties, the forest is without conservation status, but the guide hopes that the organization he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, persuading the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

While branches and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their boots, Marius describes numerous local legends and reported paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story recounts a young child disappearing during a family picnic, then to reappear half a decade later with complete amnesia of what had happened, without aging a single day, her clothes without the smallest trace of dirt.
• Regular stories describe smartphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses include complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Certain individuals report observing strange rashes on their bodies, perceiving disembodied whispers through the forest, or experience palms pushing them, even when sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the stories may be hard to prove, numerous elements clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are trees whose trunks are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Various suggestions have been given to account for the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the ground account for their crooked growth.

But research studies have turned up inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's tours allow visitors to participate in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the clearing in the forest where Barnea took his famous UFO pictures, he passes the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which detects EMF readings.

"We're stepping into the most active part of the forest," he states. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation abruptly end as the group enters into a flawless round. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the work of landscaping.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a place which inspires creativity, where the division is unclear between fact and folklore. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing creatures, who rise from their graves to frighten nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's famous vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building located on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – feels solid and predictable versus these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for factors related to radiation, climatic or purely mythical, a nexus for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," Marius comments, "the line between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."