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"People refer to this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, the air from his lungs forming puffs of vapor in the chilly evening air. "Countless individuals have disappeared here, some say it's a portal to a different realm." This expert is escorting a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth native woodland on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of bizarre occurrences here date back a long time – the grove is called after a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the distant past, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a UFO suspended above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But don't worry," he adds, facing the traveler with a smirk. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, spiritual healers, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from across the world, interested in encountering the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, known as the tech capital of the region – are encroaching, and construction companies are advocating for authorization to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Barring a few hectares housing locally rare specific tree species, the grove is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, persuading the government officials to appreciate the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

While branches and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their footwear, Marius recounts various folk tales and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story describes a five-year-old girl disappearing during a family picnic, then to return after five years with complete amnesia of the events, without aging a moment, her garments without the slightest speck of dirt.
• Regular stories detail cellphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses include absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals report noticing unusual marks on their skin, detecting disembodied whispers through the woodland, or sense palms pushing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

While many of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there are many things visibly present that is undeniably strange. All around are vegetation whose stems are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to clarify the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or typically increased radioactivity in the earth cause their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's excursions enable visitors to participate in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the meadow in the forest where Barnea photographed his famous UFO pictures, he passes the traveler an EMF meter which measures EMF readings.

"We're venturing into the most energetic part of the forest," he states. "Try to detect something."

The trees suddenly stop dead as the group enters into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this strange clearing is natural, not the work of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a area which inspires creativity, where the line is blurred between reality and legend. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to haunt regional populations.

Bram Stoker's well-known fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith perched on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – seems tangible and comprehensible compared to these eerie woods, which appear to be, for factors radioactive, environmental or entirely legendary, a center for creative energy.

"Within this forest," the guide states, "the division between fact and fiction is very thin."