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"They call this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his exhalation forming clouds of vapor in the cold evening air. "So many visitors have gone missing here, it's thought it's an entrance to a different realm." Marius is escorting a visitor on a night walk through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval indigenous forest on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of unusual events here date back a long time – this woodland is titled for a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the long ago, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a UFO suspended above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But no need to fear," he adds, turning to the visitor with a grin. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, traditional medicine people, ufologists and ghost hunters from around the globe, eager to feel the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being among the planet's leading hotspots for supernatural fans, the forest is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, called the tech capital of the region – are expanding, and developers are advocating for authorization to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Except for a few hectares containing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is not officially protected, but Marius is confident that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, encouraging the government officials to appreciate the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

As twigs and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their boots, Marius recounts various folk tales and reported paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account describes a little girl disappearing during a family outing, then to reappear after five years with no memory of the events, having not aged a day, her clothes lacking the smallest trace of soil.
• Regular stories describe mobile phones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Feelings range from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals claim observing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, hearing unseen murmurs through the forest, or experience fingers clutching them, even when sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the stories may be hard to prove, there is much clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are trees whose bases are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to clarify the misshapen plants: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radiation levels in the soil account for their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have turned up insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's excursions allow visitors to take part in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the opening in the trees where Barnea took his well-known UFO pictures, he passes the traveler an ghost-hunting device which measures EMF readings.

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

The vegetation immediately cease as the group enters into a complete ring. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this strange clearing is organic, not the creation of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

The broader region is a location which inspires creativity, where the line is indistinct between reality and legend. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, 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 – a medieval building located on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – feels solid and predictable versus these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for causes nuclear, climatic or purely mythical, a center for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," Marius says, "the line between fact and fiction is very thin."