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"People refer to this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks a tour guide, his exhalation forming puffs of mist in the cold evening air. "Numerous visitors have disappeared here, some say there's a gateway to another dimension." The guide is leading a visitor on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of ancient indigenous forest on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of bizarre occurrences here go back centuries – the grove is called after a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, together with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a unidentified flying object suspended above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he states, addressing the traveler with a smirk. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, traditional medicine people, ufologists and ghost hunters from around the globe, interested in encountering the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being one of the world's premier destinations for supernatural fans, the grove is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, described as the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and construction companies are pushing for approval to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Except for a small area home to regionally uncommon oak varieties, the forest is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the initiative he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the government officials to acknowledge the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their boots, the guide describes numerous traditional stories and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account describes a little girl going missing during a family outing, only to return five years later with no recollection of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a single day, her attire lacking the tiniest bit of dirt.
• More common reports detail mobile phones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Reactions vary from full-blown dread to states of ecstasy.
• Certain individuals report observing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, hearing unseen murmurs through the trees, or sense hands grabbing them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

While many of the tales may be unverifiable, there is much before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are trees whose bases are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been given to clarify the abnormal growth: strong gales could have bent the saplings, or naturally high radioactivity in the soil cause their crooked growth.

But research studies have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's excursions allow visitors to take part in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the opening in the forest where Barnea took his renowned UFO pictures, he hands the visitor an EMF meter which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're venturing into the most active section of the forest," he says. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a complete ring. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this unusual opening is natural, not the work of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a location which stirs the imagination, where the line is unclear between reality and legend. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing creatures, who rise from their graves to terrorise regional populations.

Bram Stoker's renowned fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building situated on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – feels tangible and comprehensible versus the haunted grove, which appear to be, for reasons related to radiation, climatic or simply folkloric, a hub for fantasy projection.

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