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"People refer to this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, the air from his lungs producing clouds of condensation in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "Countless individuals have gone missing here, it's thought it's an entrance to a parallel world." Marius is escorting a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient native woodland on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of strange happenings here go back a long time – this woodland is called after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a unidentified flying object hovering above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But don't worry," he states, addressing the visitor with a smile. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from around the globe, interested in encountering the mysterious powers reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being among the planet's leading hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, known as the Silicon Valley of the region – are advancing, and developers are pushing for authorization to cut down the woods to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a small area containing locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is without conservation status, but the guide is confident that the company he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the authorities to appreciate the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their boots, the guide describes various folk tales and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale recounts a little girl disappearing during a group gathering, only to reappear five years later with no memory of the events, having not aged a moment, her garments without the tiniest bit of dirt.
• More common reports explain cellphones and photography gear inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings vary from absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors state observing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, detecting ghostly voices through the woodland, or sense hands grabbing them, despite being sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

While many of the stories may be hard to prove, numerous elements visibly present that is definitely bizarre. All around are trees whose bases are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Different theories have been given to account for the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radiation levels in the ground account for their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have turned up insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's tours enable visitors to participate in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the trees where Barnea took his famous UFO pictures, he gives the traveler an ghost-hunting device which measures EMF readings.

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

The plants suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath the ground; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this unusual opening is natural, not the result of human hands.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a location which stirs the imagination, where the line is blurred between truth and myth. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering creatures, who rise from their graves to haunt regional populations.

Bram Stoker's famous fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith located on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – seems tangible and comprehensible versus this spooky forest, which appear to be, for factors nuclear, climatic or purely mythical, a hub for human imaginative power.

"Inside these woods," the guide comments, "the line between fact and fiction is very thin."