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"Locals dub this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states a local guide, the air from his lungs creating wisps of condensation in the crisp night air. "Numerous people have gone missing here, some say there's a gateway to a parallel world." Marius is guiding a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval local woods on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of bizarre occurrences here go back centuries – this woodland is named after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he claimed was a unidentified flying object hovering above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But no need to fear," he adds, turning to his guest with a smile. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, ufologists and supernatural researchers from across the world, interested in encountering the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, the grove is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, described as the innovation center of the region – are expanding, and real estate firms are advocating for permission to cut down the woods to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a limited section containing locally rare oak varieties, the forest is without conservation status, but Marius hopes that the initiative he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the government officials to acknowledge the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius recounts numerous folk tales and claimed supernatural events here.

• One famous story recounts a young child vanishing during a group gathering, later to rematerialise after five years with no recollection of the events, showing no signs of aging a single day, her garments lacking the smallest trace of dirt.
• Regular stories detail cellphones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses vary from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors report observing strange rashes on their skin, hearing unseen murmurs through the forest, or sense hands grabbing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there are many things visibly present that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are trees whose trunks are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been given to account for the misshapen plants: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or typically increased radioactivity in the soil account for their unusual development.

But research studies have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's tours enable participants to participate in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the meadow in the woods where Barnea captured his renowned UFO photographs, he hands the traveler an EMF meter which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're entering the most powerful section of the forest," he states. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation immediately cease as they step into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath our feet; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the work of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a location which inspires creativity, where the border is unclear between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to terrorise local communities.

The famous author's famous fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith perched on a stone formation in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – feels real and understandable versus the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for causes related to radiation, atmospheric or purely mythical, a nexus for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius states, "the line between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."