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"People refer to this location an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, his exhalation producing wisps of vapor in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "Numerous people have disappeared here, many believe it's an entrance to another dimension." Marius is escorting a visitor on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth indigenous forest on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here extend back hundreds of years – this woodland is called after a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a flying saucer suspended above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But don't worry," he continues, facing his guest with a smirk. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from across the world, interested in encountering the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Although it is a top global pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, this woodland is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, called the tech capital of the region – are encroaching, and construction companies are advocating for permission to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Barring a small area containing locally rare specific tree species, the forest is without conservation status, but the guide believes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the local administrators to appreciate the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their boots, the guide recounts some of the local legends and claimed supernatural events here.

• A well-known account recounts a five-year-old girl vanishing during a group gathering, only to reappear five years later with complete amnesia of what had happened, without aging a moment, her garments shy of the smallest trace of dust.
• Frequent accounts detail mobile phones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Feelings vary from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors report noticing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, perceiving unseen murmurs through the forest, or experience hands grabbing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the stories may be hard to prove, there are many things before my eyes that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are vegetation whose stems are bent and twisted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been suggested to account for the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the soil explain their crooked growth.

But research studies have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's excursions allow visitors to take part in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the opening in the woods where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO photographs, he hands his guest an electromagnetic field detector which detects electromagnetic fields.

"We're venturing into the most energetic section of the forest," he comments. "Try to detect something."

The trees suddenly stop dead as the group enters into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this strange clearing is organic, not the work of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a area which inspires creativity, where the line is unclear between fact and folklore. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting creatures, who return from burial sites to haunt nearby villages.

The famous author's well-known character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure perched on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – feels tangible and comprehensible versus the haunted grove, which seem to be, for factors radioactive, environmental or purely mythical, a hub for fantasy projection.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius comments, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."