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"People refer to this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, the air from his lungs forming clouds of vapor in the crisp night air. "Numerous individuals have gone missing here, some say there's a gateway to another dimension." Marius is guiding a visitor on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient native woodland on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of unusual events here date back a long time – the forest is titled for a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a unidentified flying object suspended above a round opening in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he states, turning to his guest with a smile. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from across the world, interested in encountering the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being one of the world's premier destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, described as the innovation center of the region – are encroaching, and construction companies are campaigning for authorization to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Barring a few hectares home to area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is without conservation status, but Marius hopes that the initiative he co-founded – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, motivating the local administrators to recognise the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and fall foliage split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius describes numerous folk tales and reported paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story tells of a little girl going missing during a family outing, later to return half a decade later with no recollection of the events, without aging a day, her garments shy of the tiniest bit of dirt.
• Regular stories describe cellphones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses vary from full-blown dread to states of ecstasy.
• Certain individuals state observing unusual marks on their bodies, detecting disembodied whispers through the woodland, or experience fingers clutching them, even when sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

While many of the stories may be hard to prove, numerous elements before my eyes that is undeniably strange. Throughout the area are plants whose bases are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been proposed to explain the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or typically increased radioactivity in the ground account for their unusual development.

But research studies have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's excursions enable visitors to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the meadow in the trees where Barnea took his well-known UFO photographs, he hands his guest an electromagnetic field detector which registers EMF readings.

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

The plants suddenly stop dead as the group enters into a flawless round. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this strange clearing is natural, not the result of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a area which stirs the imagination, where the line is indistinct between truth and myth. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting vampires, who emerge from tombs to haunt local communities.

The novelist's well-known vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure perched on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – seems solid and predictable compared to this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for reasons related to radiation, climatic or simply folkloric, a center for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," the guide comments, "the division between fact and fiction is extremely fine."