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"People refer to this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a local guide, his exhalation producing wisps of vapor in the cold evening air. "Countless visitors have disappeared here, it's thought it's a portal to another dimension." This expert is leading a visitor on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval indigenous forest on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of bizarre occurrences here go back a long time – the forest is titled for a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a unidentified flying object floating above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But rest assured," he states, turning to the visitor with a smirk. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, ufologists and ghost hunters from worldwide, curious to experience the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being a top global hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, called the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and developers are campaigning for permission to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Barring a small area home to area-specific oak varieties, the grove is without conservation status, but the guide hopes that the organization he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, encouraging the government officials to recognise the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

As twigs and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius describes various local legends and reported supernatural events here.

• A well-known account describes a five-year-old girl going missing during a family picnic, only to rematerialise after five years with no recollection of what had happened, having not aged a single day, her attire without the slightest speck of dust.
• Regular stories describe cellphones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Reactions range from absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors claim seeing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, perceiving disembodied whispers through the trees, or feel fingers clutching them, despite being sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

While many of the stories may be unverifiable, there are many things before my eyes that is certainly unusual. All around are trees whose trunks are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Various suggestions have been given to explain the misshapen plants: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the earth cause their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's walks enable visitors to participate in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the clearing in the trees where Barnea captured his renowned UFO images, he gives the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which measures energy patterns.

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

The vegetation immediately cease as we emerge into a flawless round. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this strange clearing is natural, not the result of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a place which inspires creativity, where the line is unclear between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to frighten local communities.

The novelist's renowned fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith situated on a stone formation in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – appears tangible and comprehensible versus this spooky forest, which seem to be, for factors related to radiation, environmental or entirely legendary, a center for creative energy.

"Within this forest," the guide comments, "the division between truth and fantasy is very thin."