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"They call this place the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, his breath forming clouds of vapor in the cold night air. "Numerous people have gone missing here, some say there's a gateway to a parallel world." Marius is leading a guest on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth local woods on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Stories of strange happenings here extend back a long time – this woodland is called after a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he claimed was a unidentified flying object floating above a round opening in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But no need to fear," he states, facing his guest with a grin. "Our excursions have a flawless completion rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from across the world, interested in encountering the mysterious powers reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is among the planet's leading destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and developers are pushing for authorization to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Except for a limited section home to area-specific specific tree species, the forest is without conservation status, but Marius hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, encouraging the authorities to acknowledge the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

As twigs and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their footwear, Marius describes numerous folk tales and reported paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale describes a little girl disappearing during a family picnic, then to return half a decade later with complete amnesia of her experience, showing no signs of aging a day, her attire without the slightest speck of dirt.
• More common reports describe smartphones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses vary from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors claim observing strange rashes on their bodies, perceiving unseen murmurs through the woodland, or feel hands grabbing them, even when sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the tales may be unverifiable, there is much clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. All around are vegetation whose stems are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Multiple explanations have been given to clarify the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or typically increased radioactivity in the soil account for their unusual development.

But research studies have found insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's excursions enable guests to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the trees where Barnea photographed his famous UFO images, he hands the traveler an ghost-hunting device which detects EMF readings.

"We're stepping into the most powerful section of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation immediately cease as we emerge into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the short grass beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the creation of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a location which stirs the imagination, where the line is indistinct between reality and legend. In countryside villages superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to haunt nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's famous fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith perched on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – appears tangible and comprehensible compared to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, environmental or entirely legendary, a nexus for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide comments, "the line between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."