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"Locals dub this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states a local guide, his breath creating puffs of condensation in the crisp night air. "Numerous visitors have gone missing here, it's thought there's a gateway to a different realm." This expert is escorting a guest on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of ancient native woodland on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of bizarre occurrences here go back a long time – this woodland is titled for a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the long ago, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a flying saucer suspended above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But no need to fear," he continues, addressing his guest with a smile. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, shamans, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from across the world, interested in encountering the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is a top global destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, called the innovation center of eastern Europe – are expanding, and construction companies are pushing for permission to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Except for a small area containing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is not officially protected, but the guide believes that the initiative he co-founded – a local conservation effort – will help to change that, encouraging the local administrators to appreciate the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide describes various local legends and reported paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account describes a young child disappearing during a group gathering, only to reappear half a decade later with no memory of the events, having not aged a day, her garments lacking the smallest trace of dirt.
• Regular stories explain cellphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Reactions range from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Some people report observing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, hearing ghostly voices through the forest, or feel palms pushing them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the tales may be hard to prove, there are many things visibly present that is certainly unusual. All around are vegetation whose trunks are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been given to clarify the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the earth cause their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's walks enable visitors to engage in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the meadow in the forest where Barnea took his famous UFO images, he gives the visitor an EMF meter which measures EMF readings.

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

The vegetation immediately cease as they step into a flawless round. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this unusual opening is wild, not the work of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a area which inspires creativity, where the division is blurred between reality and legend. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing vampires, who emerge from tombs to terrorise nearby villages.

The novelist's well-known fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith located on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – seems real and understandable compared to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for factors radioactive, climatic or purely mythical, a center for fantasy projection.

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