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"People refer to this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains a local guide, his exhalation producing clouds of condensation in the chilly evening air. "Countless individuals have disappeared here, many believe it's an entrance to a different realm." Marius is leading a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval local woods on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of bizarre occurrences here go back centuries – this woodland is named after a local shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a UFO suspended above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But don't worry," he continues, turning to the traveler with a smirk. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from worldwide, eager to feel the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and real estate firms are campaigning for authorization to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Barring a few hectares housing locally rare specific tree species, the forest is lacking legal protection, but Marius is confident that the initiative he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, motivating the government officials to acknowledge the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their shoes, the guide tells various local legends and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account tells of a five-year-old girl going missing during a family outing, later to rematerialise after five years with no recollection of her experience, having not aged a single day, her clothes lacking the tiniest bit of dirt.
• Regular stories explain cellphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Feelings include full-blown dread to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors report seeing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, hearing ghostly voices through the forest, or experience hands grabbing them, even when sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

While many of the tales may be unverifiable, there is much visibly present that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are plants whose bases are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Multiple explanations have been given to account for the deformed trees: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the ground cause their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have discovered inconclusive results.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's walks permit guests to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the clearing in the forest where Barnea captured his famous UFO photographs, he passes the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which registers energy patterns.

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

The vegetation suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a complete ring. The single plant life is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this unusual opening is organic, not the result of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a area which fuels fantasy, where the border is blurred between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering vampires, who emerge from tombs to haunt nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's well-known vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure situated on a cliff edge in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – feels tangible and comprehensible versus this spooky forest, which seem to be, for causes nuclear, atmospheric or purely mythical, a center for human imaginative power.

"Inside these woods," the guide says, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is extremely fine."