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"People refer to this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his breath producing puffs of vapor in the cold dusk atmosphere. "Countless visitors have vanished here, it's thought it's an entrance to a different realm." This expert is leading a visitor on a night walk through what is often described as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth local woods on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of unusual events here extend back centuries – this woodland is titled for a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a UFO floating above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But no need to fear," he continues, addressing the traveler with a grin. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, ufologists and paranormal investigators from worldwide, eager to feel the mysterious powers reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, described as the tech capital of eastern Europe – are advancing, and real estate firms are advocating for authorization to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Except for a few hectares home to area-specific oak varieties, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but Marius hopes that the organization he helped establish – a local conservation effort – will help to change that, persuading the local administrators to appreciate the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius describes some of the folk tales and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story describes a little girl going missing during a family picnic, then to rematerialise five years later with no recollection of what had happened, without aging a moment, her clothes shy of the smallest trace of dust.
• Regular stories describe smartphones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Reactions include full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals state noticing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, detecting unseen murmurs through the woodland, or sense fingers clutching them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the stories may be impossible to confirm, there is much clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. All around are plants whose stems are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Multiple explanations have been proposed to clarify the misshapen plants: strong gales could have bent the saplings, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the earth explain their unusual development.

But formal examinations have found inconclusive results.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's tours enable participants to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the woods where Barnea captured his famous UFO images, he gives the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which detects energy patterns.

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

The trees immediately cease as they step into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the short grass beneath the ground; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this strange clearing is wild, not the work of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a area which fuels fantasy, where the border is indistinct between truth and myth. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to frighten local communities.

Bram Stoker's well-known vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure located on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – appears real and understandable in contrast to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for reasons related to radiation, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a center for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius says, "the line between truth and fantasy is very thin."