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"They call this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, his breath creating wisps of condensation in the cold evening air. "Numerous individuals have gone missing here, it's thought it's an entrance to a parallel world." Marius is escorting a traveler on a night walk through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of ancient native woodland on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of bizarre occurrences here extend back a long time – the forest is called after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the distant past, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a unidentified flying object floating above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But don't worry," he states, facing the traveler with a grin. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from around the globe, interested in encountering the unusual forces said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is a top global pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the innovation center of the region – are advancing, and real estate firms are pushing for authorization to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a limited section containing regionally uncommon specific tree species, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the organization he helped establish – a local conservation effort – will help to change that, motivating the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

While branches and fall foliage split and rustle beneath their boots, the guide tells numerous traditional stories and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account recounts a five-year-old girl disappearing during a family picnic, then to return five years later with no memory of her experience, showing no signs of aging a single day, her attire lacking the slightest speck of dust.
• More common reports detail mobile phones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses range from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals report seeing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, detecting disembodied whispers through the trees, or feel palms pushing them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the accounts may be hard to prove, numerous elements clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are trees whose stems are bent and twisted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been given to explain the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the earth explain their unusual development.

But formal examinations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks enable guests to take part in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the meadow in the trees where Barnea photographed his famous UFO photographs, he passes the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which registers electromagnetic fields.

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

The vegetation immediately cease as we emerge into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and looks that this strange clearing is organic, not the work of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a area which stirs the imagination, where the border is indistinct between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing vampires, who return from burial sites to haunt regional populations.

The famous author's renowned fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building situated on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But even legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – seems tangible and comprehensible compared to this spooky forest, which appear to be, for causes related to radiation, environmental or entirely legendary, a hub for fantasy projection.

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