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"They call this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks a tour guide, his breath forming clouds of condensation in the crisp evening air. "So many visitors have disappeared here, some say it's a portal to a parallel world." This expert is leading a traveler on a night walk through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval local woods on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Accounts of unusual events here date back centuries – the grove is called after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the long ago, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a UFO hovering above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But don't worry," he continues, addressing the visitor with a grin. "Our excursions have a flawless completion rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, ufologists and ghost hunters from around the globe, curious to experience the mysterious powers reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be one of the world's premier hotspots for supernatural fans, the grove is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, described as the Silicon Valley of the region – are encroaching, and construction companies are campaigning for permission to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a small area housing locally rare oak varieties, the forest is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the company he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the local administrators to recognise the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their shoes, Marius recounts some of the traditional stories and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story recounts a five-year-old girl vanishing during a family picnic, only to return after five years with complete amnesia of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a single day, her attire lacking the smallest trace of dirt.
• Frequent accounts detail cellphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses vary from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Some people claim observing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, perceiving unseen murmurs through the trees, or sense palms pushing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

While many of the stories may be unverifiable, numerous elements visibly present that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are plants whose bases are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been given to account for the misshapen plants: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the soil explain their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's walks permit guests to take part in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the meadow in the woods where Barnea took his famous UFO photographs, he hands the traveler an ghost-hunting device which registers energy patterns.

"We're venturing into the most energetic part of the forest," he states. "See what you can find."

The vegetation abruptly end as we emerge into a complete ring. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and seems that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the creation of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a area which inspires creativity, where the division is indistinct between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting creatures, who return from burial sites to frighten nearby villages.

The famous author's well-known vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building located on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – feels real and understandable in contrast to these eerie woods, which seem to be, for causes radioactive, environmental or simply folkloric, a nexus for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," Marius states, "the division between reality and imagination is very thin."