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"They call this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains a local guide, his breath forming clouds of vapor in the cold night air. "Numerous visitors have gone missing here, many believe there's a gateway to a parallel world." The guide is escorting a guest on a night walk through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval indigenous forest on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of unusual events here date back hundreds of years – the forest is titled for a local shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a unidentified flying object floating above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

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

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, shamans, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, curious to experience the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be among the planet's leading hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, called the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and developers are pushing for permission to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a limited section housing regionally uncommon oak varieties, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius is confident that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, encouraging the authorities to acknowledge the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their shoes, the guide tells some of the traditional stories and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale tells of a young child disappearing during a family outing, later to rematerialise five years later with no memory of her experience, without aging a single day, her attire lacking the smallest trace of dirt.
• Regular stories explain cellphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses include complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors claim seeing unusual marks on their arms, detecting disembodied whispers through the woodland, or feel fingers clutching them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Research Efforts

While many of the accounts may be hard to prove, there is much visibly present that is undeniably strange. All around are trees whose stems are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been proposed to account for the deformed trees: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the earth explain their unusual development.

But formal examinations have turned up insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's excursions permit guests to participate in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the meadow in the woods where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO photographs, he passes the visitor an EMF meter which registers electromagnetic fields.

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

The vegetation immediately cease as they step into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the creation of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a place which fuels fantasy, where the line is blurred between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to terrorise regional populations.

The famous author's renowned character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building located on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – feels solid and predictable compared to this spooky forest, which appear to be, for causes nuclear, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a hub for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," Marius states, "the line between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."