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"They call this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, his breath creating wisps of condensation in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "So many individuals have vanished here, it's thought there's a gateway to another dimension." This expert is escorting a guest on a night walk through commonly known as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth native woodland on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of unusual events here extend back hundreds of years – the forest is called after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a flying saucer suspended above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he continues, turning to the visitor with a grin. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from worldwide, interested in encountering the mysterious powers reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being a top global pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and developers are advocating for permission to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Barring a limited section housing area-specific specific tree species, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius is confident that the organization he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, encouraging the government officials to recognise the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

As twigs and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their footwear, Marius describes various folk tales and reported supernatural events here.

• One famous story recounts a five-year-old girl disappearing during a group gathering, later to rematerialise five years later with no recollection of the events, showing no signs of aging a moment, her clothes shy of the smallest trace of dust.
• Frequent accounts detail smartphones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses vary from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Some people state seeing strange rashes on their bodies, detecting unseen murmurs through the forest, or experience palms pushing them, despite being sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the stories may be hard to prove, numerous elements visibly present that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose bases are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been proposed to clarify the deformed trees: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the earth explain their strange formation.

But formal examinations have turned up inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks enable guests to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the meadow in the trees where Barnea captured his well-known UFO images, he passes the visitor an ghost-hunting device which measures electromagnetic fields.

"We're entering the most powerful section of the forest," he comments. "See what you can find."

The trees suddenly stop dead as they step into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's clear that it's not maintained, and seems that this unusual opening is organic, not the work of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a area which inspires creativity, where the line is blurred between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering vampires, who emerge from tombs to terrorise nearby villages.

The novelist's renowned vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith situated on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – feels real and understandable in contrast to these eerie woods, which seem to be, for factors related to radiation, environmental or purely mythical, a center for human imaginative power.

"Inside these woods," Marius comments, "the division between truth and fantasy is very thin."