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"People refer to this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his breath creating clouds of mist in the crisp evening air. "So many individuals have disappeared here, it's thought it's a portal to a different realm." Marius is escorting a guest on a evening stroll through commonly known as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient native woodland on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of unusual events here date back centuries – this woodland is called after a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the distant past, 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 described as a unidentified flying object suspended above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But no need to fear," he states, facing his guest with a smile. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from around the globe, eager to feel the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, this woodland is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, called the innovation center of eastern Europe – are expanding, and developers are advocating for approval to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Barring a few hectares housing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is not officially protected, but the guide hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, persuading the government officials to appreciate the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their shoes, the guide recounts various local legends and reported paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story describes a five-year-old girl going missing during a group gathering, then to reappear after five years with no recollection of the events, showing no signs of aging a day, her garments without the tiniest bit of dirt.
• More common reports explain cellphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Reactions include full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals claim seeing unusual marks on their skin, hearing unseen murmurs through the trees, or experience palms pushing them, despite being sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the tales may be hard to prove, there are many things before my eyes that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose trunks are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been suggested to clarify the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the ground explain their strange formation.

But formal examinations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's tours enable participants to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the trees where Barnea took his famous UFO pictures, he hands his guest an ghost-hunting device which detects energy patterns.

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

The trees suddenly stop dead as the group enters into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath our feet; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and seems that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the creation of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a area which stirs the imagination, where the division is unclear between reality and legend. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing vampires, who emerge from tombs to haunt regional populations.

The famous author's renowned fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith perched on a rocky outcrop in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But even legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – seems solid and predictable in contrast to this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for causes nuclear, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a hub for human imaginative power.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide comments, "the line between fact and fiction is extremely fine."