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"They call this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his breath producing puffs of mist in the cold dusk atmosphere. "So many visitors have gone missing here, some say there's a gateway to a parallel world." This expert is guiding a guest on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient indigenous forest on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of unusual events here extend back a long time – this woodland is called after a local shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the long ago, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a flying saucer suspended above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But rest assured," he continues, facing the visitor with a smile. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from across the world, curious to experience the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is one of the world's premier destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, known as the innovation center of the region – are encroaching, and real estate firms are campaigning for authorization to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a few hectares housing regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the organization he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the authorities to acknowledge the forest's significance as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

As twigs and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius tells some of the local legends and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale tells of a young child going missing during a family picnic, then to rematerialise after five years with no memory of the events, showing no signs of aging a moment, her attire shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• Regular stories describe mobile phones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses range from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals state noticing unusual marks on their bodies, detecting unseen murmurs through the trees, or feel hands grabbing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the stories may be impossible to confirm, there are many things visibly present that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are plants whose bases are warped and gnarled into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been given to explain the deformed trees: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radiation levels in the earth cause their unusual development.

But formal examinations have discovered inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks permit visitors to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the opening in the woods where Barnea captured his well-known UFO images, he gives his guest an ghost-hunting device which detects EMF readings.

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

The plants suddenly stop dead as they step into a complete ring. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this unusual opening is organic, not the creation of people.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a place which inspires creativity, where the border is unclear between truth and myth. In countryside villages superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting vampires, who emerge from tombs to haunt local communities.

The novelist's famous vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building located on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – seems tangible and comprehensible compared to these eerie woods, which seem to be, for factors related to radiation, environmental or purely mythical, a nexus for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide says, "the boundary between fact and fiction is very thin."