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"Locals dub this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, the air from his lungs creating clouds of mist in the chilly evening air. "So many visitors have vanished here, some say it's a portal to another dimension." The guide is leading a guest on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth indigenous forest on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of strange happenings here date back centuries – the grove is named after a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, accompanied by his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a flying saucer hovering above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But no need to fear," he states, facing the visitor with a grin. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from around the globe, interested in encountering the mysterious powers reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is a top global pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, this woodland is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the tech capital of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and developers are advocating for permission to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a limited section containing area-specific specific tree species, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius is confident that the company he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, encouraging the authorities to recognise the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their footwear, the guide describes numerous traditional stories and reported supernatural events here.

• A well-known account describes a young child disappearing during a family outing, only to rematerialise after five years with no memory of her experience, without aging a single day, her garments lacking the tiniest bit of dirt.
• More common reports explain mobile phones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Reactions vary from complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Some people state noticing strange rashes on their bodies, detecting ghostly voices through the woodland, or experience hands grabbing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there are many things visibly present that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are plants whose trunks are bent and twisted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been suggested to account for the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the ground explain their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have discovered inconclusive results.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's excursions enable guests to engage in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the opening in the trees where Barnea captured his renowned UFO images, he passes the traveler an ghost-hunting device which measures electromagnetic fields.

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

The vegetation immediately cease as they step into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the result of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a area which inspires creativity, where the line is indistinct between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to haunt nearby villages.

The novelist's renowned fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building situated on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – feels solid and predictable compared to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for causes related to radiation, environmental or entirely legendary, a nexus for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," Marius comments, "the line between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."