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"Locals dub this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a local guide, the air from his lungs forming clouds of condensation in the chilly night air. "Countless visitors have gone missing here, many believe it's an entrance to another dimension." This expert is guiding a visitor on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval indigenous forest on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of unusual events here go back centuries – the forest is named after a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the long ago, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a unidentified flying object floating above a oval meadow in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But no need to fear," he continues, turning to the traveler with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted meditation experts, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from across the world, interested in encountering the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is one of the world's premier hotspots for supernatural fans, the forest is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, called the innovation center of the region – are encroaching, and real estate firms are advocating for authorization to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a limited section housing locally rare specific tree species, this woodland is not officially protected, but the guide hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, motivating the authorities to recognise the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their boots, the guide describes numerous local legends and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale recounts a little girl vanishing during a group gathering, later to reappear after five years with complete amnesia of the events, having not aged a moment, her garments lacking the tiniest bit of dust.
• Regular stories describe smartphones and photography gear inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses range from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals report noticing strange rashes on their skin, perceiving unseen murmurs through the woodland, or experience fingers clutching them, even when sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the tales may be hard to prove, there is much visibly present that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are trees whose bases are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been given to explain the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the soil explain their strange formation.

But research studies have discovered inconclusive results.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's walks allow participants to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the woods where Barnea took his famous UFO images, he gives the traveler an EMF meter which detects energy patterns.

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

The vegetation immediately cease as they step into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and appears that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the work of people.

The Blurred Line

The broader region is a place which fuels fantasy, where the division is unclear between truth and myth. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering vampires, who emerge from tombs to terrorise local communities.

The famous author's well-known fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building located on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – seems real and understandable compared to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for causes nuclear, environmental or purely mythical, a hub for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," Marius states, "the line between truth and fantasy is very thin."