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"People refer to this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, the air from his lungs creating wisps of condensation in the cold night air. "Countless individuals have gone missing here, some say it's a portal to a different realm." The guide is escorting a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval indigenous forest on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here date back centuries – the grove is named after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, together with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a UFO suspended above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But no need to fear," he continues, facing the visitor with a smirk. "Our excursions have a flawless completion rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from across the world, interested in encountering the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be one of the world's premier hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and developers are pushing for approval to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Barring a limited section housing regionally uncommon oak varieties, the grove is lacking legal protection, but Marius hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the government officials to appreciate the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their boots, the guide recounts various local legends and reported paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account describes a young child going missing during a family picnic, then to reappear five years later with complete amnesia of what had happened, without aging a moment, her clothes shy of the slightest speck of soil.
• Frequent accounts detail smartphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Reactions range from complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals state noticing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, perceiving unseen murmurs through the forest, or feel fingers clutching them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there is much clearly observable that is certainly unusual. All around are vegetation whose stems are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been proposed to clarify the misshapen plants: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or typically increased radiation levels in the ground cause their unusual development.

But research studies have found inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's excursions permit participants to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the clearing in the woods where Barnea took his well-known UFO photographs, he gives his guest an ghost-hunting device which registers energy patterns.

"We're stepping into the most energetic section of the forest," he says. "Try to detect something."

The trees immediately cease as the group enters into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and looks that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the creation of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a area which inspires creativity, where the division is blurred between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing creatures, who return from burial sites to terrorise local communities.

Bram Stoker's well-known fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith located on a rocky outcrop in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – appears real and understandable in contrast to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for factors nuclear, environmental or simply folkloric, a nexus for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," Marius says, "the division between reality and imagination is very thin."