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"They call this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his exhalation forming puffs of vapor in the chilly night air. "So many visitors have vanished here, many believe it's an entrance to a parallel world." The guide is leading a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval local woods on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here date back hundreds of years – the forest is named after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the distant past, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a UFO suspended above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But no need to fear," he adds, facing the traveler with a smile. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from worldwide, eager to feel the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Although it is a top global hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is facing danger. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the innovation center of the region – are advancing, and developers are campaigning for authorization to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Except for a small area housing area-specific specific tree species, the forest is not officially protected, but the guide is confident that the initiative he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, persuading the government officials to recognise the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

While branches and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide recounts some of the folk tales and alleged supernatural events here.

• A well-known account recounts a five-year-old girl disappearing during a family picnic, later to rematerialise five years later with no recollection of the events, without aging a moment, her attire shy of the slightest speck of dirt.
• Regular stories describe mobile phones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Feelings vary from complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors state observing unusual marks on their bodies, detecting ghostly voices through the forest, or experience hands grabbing them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the stories may be unverifiable, there is much visibly present that is undeniably strange. Throughout the area are plants whose bases are warped and gnarled into fantastical shapes.

Various suggestions have been given to explain the abnormal growth: strong gales 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 Notorious Meadow

The expert's excursions enable visitors to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the opening in the woods where Barnea took his renowned UFO photographs, he gives the traveler an ghost-hunting device which detects EMF readings.

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

The trees suddenly stop dead as they step into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's clear that it's not maintained, and seems that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the work of human hands.

The Blurred Line

The broader region is a area which fuels fantasy, where the division is unclear between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering vampires, who emerge from tombs to haunt nearby villages.

The famous author's renowned fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building located on a stone formation in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – appears tangible and comprehensible compared to the haunted grove, which appear to be, for factors radioactive, climatic or entirely legendary, a nexus for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide says, "the division between reality and imagination is very thin."