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"They call this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states a local guide, the air from his lungs creating wisps of mist in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "So many visitors have disappeared here, many believe it's an entrance to a different realm." This expert is guiding a visitor on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of ancient local woods on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of strange happenings here extend back hundreds of years – the forest is called after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the distant past, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a unidentified flying object hovering above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But rest assured," he adds, facing the visitor with a grin. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from across the world, eager to feel the unusual forces said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is among the planet's leading hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, called the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and construction companies are campaigning for permission to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Except for a small area containing locally rare oak varieties, the forest is lacking legal protection, but Marius hopes that the company he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the local administrators to appreciate the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

As twigs and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their footwear, Marius tells numerous folk tales and reported supernatural events here.

• A popular tale describes a five-year-old girl vanishing during a group gathering, then to rematerialise five years later with no memory of the events, showing no signs of aging a single day, her attire shy of the slightest speck of dirt.
• More common reports explain cellphones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions vary from complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals report observing strange rashes on their arms, detecting unseen murmurs through the woodland, or feel fingers clutching them, despite being sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the stories may be unverifiable, there are many things before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are trees whose trunks are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been given to clarify the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the earth explain their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have discovered inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's excursions enable participants to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the opening in the forest where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO pictures, he gives the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which measures energy patterns.

"We're entering the most energetic section of the forest," he says. "See what you can find."

The trees immediately cease as they step into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this strange clearing is natural, not the creation of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a area which inspires creativity, where the border is unclear between fact and folklore. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing creatures, who return from burial sites to terrorise nearby villages.

The novelist's famous character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building perched on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – appears real and understandable in contrast to the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, climatic or simply folkloric, a nexus for human imaginative power.

"Inside these woods," the guide states, "the line between reality and imagination is extremely fine."