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"People refer to this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his exhalation producing clouds of condensation in the cold night air. "Countless individuals have vanished here, it's thought it's a portal to a different realm." The guide is leading a guest on a night walk through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval native woodland on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of strange happenings here date back hundreds of years – the grove is named after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a unidentified flying object floating above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and never came out. But no need to fear," he adds, turning to the visitor with a smile. "Our excursions have a flawless completion rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from worldwide, eager to feel the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is among the planet's leading hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is facing danger. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and real estate firms are campaigning for permission to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a few hectares containing regionally uncommon oak varieties, the forest is not officially protected, but the guide believes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will help to change that, motivating the authorities to appreciate the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their boots, Marius describes some of the traditional stories and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story describes a five-year-old girl vanishing during a family picnic, only to return after five years with no recollection of the events, showing no signs of aging a day, her attire shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• More common reports explain smartphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses include absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals report observing strange rashes on their bodies, hearing unseen murmurs through the woodland, or sense palms pushing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

While many of the stories may be impossible to confirm, there is much visibly present that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are vegetation whose trunks are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Multiple explanations have been given to account for the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the ground explain their crooked growth.

But research studies have discovered inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's tours enable guests to participate in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the forest where Barnea captured his renowned UFO images, he gives his guest an electromagnetic field detector which registers electromagnetic fields.

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

The trees abruptly end as they step into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this unusual opening is wild, not the creation of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a area which stirs the imagination, where the line is indistinct between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting vampires, who rise from their graves to frighten regional populations.

The novelist's famous fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith located on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – feels real and understandable in contrast to the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for causes nuclear, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a nexus for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide says, "the division between reality and imagination is extremely fine."