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"People refer to this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, the air from his lungs creating wisps of mist in the crisp evening air. "Numerous people have vanished here, some say there's a gateway to a different realm." This expert is escorting a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth local woods on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of unusual events here extend back hundreds of years – this woodland is called after a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the long ago, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a flying saucer suspended above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But no need to fear," he continues, facing the traveler with a grin. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from across the world, interested in encountering the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, the forest is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, called the innovation center of eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are pushing for authorization to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a few hectares housing regionally uncommon oak varieties, the forest is not officially protected, but the guide is confident that the company he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, motivating the government officials to appreciate the forest's significance as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

As twigs and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their boots, Marius describes some of the local legends and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account recounts a young child going missing during a family outing, then to reappear half a decade later with no recollection of her experience, without aging a day, her attire without the smallest trace of dirt.
• More common reports detail smartphones and imaging devices inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses vary from absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors report seeing unusual marks on their bodies, detecting ghostly voices through the forest, or experience palms pushing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

While many of the stories may be unverifiable, numerous elements clearly observable that is certainly unusual. All around are plants whose stems are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been proposed to explain the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the earth explain their crooked growth.

But research studies have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's walks enable guests to engage in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the woods where Barnea captured his renowned UFO pictures, he hands the visitor an ghost-hunting device which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're stepping into the most active section of the forest," he states. "Try to detect something."

The vegetation abruptly end as they step into a complete ring. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this unusual opening is natural, not the work of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a location which stirs the imagination, where the division is indistinct between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting creatures, who emerge from tombs to haunt nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's well-known character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure perched on a cliff edge in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – appears tangible and comprehensible compared to this spooky forest, which appear to be, for causes nuclear, environmental or entirely legendary, a nexus for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," Marius comments, "the division between truth and fantasy is extremely fine."