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"People refer to this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his breath forming wisps of condensation in the chilly evening air. "Countless people have vanished here, it's thought there's a gateway to another dimension." Marius is escorting a traveler on a evening stroll through commonly known as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth local woods on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Stories of strange happenings here date back hundreds of years – the grove is called after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a flying saucer suspended above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But don't worry," he continues, facing the traveler with a smile. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from around the globe, curious to experience the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is a top global destinations for lovers of the paranormal, this woodland is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, called the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are advancing, and developers are campaigning for authorization to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Barring a limited section home to area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is without conservation status, but the guide hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, persuading the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their footwear, Marius tells numerous traditional stories and reported paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale describes a young child disappearing during a family picnic, then to reappear after five years with complete amnesia of the events, without aging a day, her garments lacking the smallest trace of dirt.
• More common reports explain mobile phones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions include absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Certain individuals report noticing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, perceiving disembodied whispers through the forest, or experience fingers clutching them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the stories may be impossible to confirm, there are many things clearly observable that is undeniably strange. All around are trees whose stems are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Various suggestions have been suggested to explain the misshapen plants: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the soil account for their crooked growth.

But research studies have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's excursions enable visitors to engage in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the woods where Barnea took his famous UFO pictures, he hands his guest an electromagnetic field detector which measures EMF readings.

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

The vegetation abruptly end as the group enters into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the result of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a area which stirs the imagination, where the line is indistinct between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to haunt nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's well-known character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building situated on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – feels solid and predictable versus this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for reasons related to radiation, climatic or simply folkloric, a nexus for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," Marius says, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is very thin."