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"Locals dub this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains a local guide, his exhalation producing clouds of mist in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "Countless individuals have gone missing here, some say it's an entrance to a parallel world." The guide is leading a guest on a night walk through what is often described as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth native woodland on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of bizarre occurrences here date back a long time – the forest is titled for a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the long ago, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a unidentified flying object floating above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But rest assured," he continues, addressing his guest with a smile. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, shamans, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from around the globe, interested in encountering the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Although it is among the planet's leading destinations for supernatural fans, the forest is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, known as the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are pushing for authorization to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a small area home to regionally uncommon specific tree species, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but Marius is confident that the company he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, encouraging the authorities to appreciate the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and fall foliage split and rustle beneath their footwear, the guide recounts numerous traditional stories and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale tells of a young child going missing during a family picnic, later to rematerialise half a decade later with complete amnesia of what had happened, without aging a single day, her attire without the smallest trace of dirt.
• More common reports describe smartphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Reactions range from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Some people report seeing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, perceiving unseen murmurs through the trees, or experience palms pushing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the accounts may be unverifiable, there is much visibly present that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose trunks are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Different theories have been suggested to clarify the deformed trees: strong gales could have bent the saplings, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the ground explain their strange formation.

But research studies have discovered insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's tours allow participants to take part in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the opening in the woods where Barnea took his renowned UFO pictures, he hands his guest an electromagnetic field detector which measures energy patterns.

"We're entering the most powerful part of the forest," he states. "Try to detect something."

The plants immediately cease as we emerge into a complete ring. The only greenery is the short grass beneath our feet; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this strange clearing is natural, not the creation of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a location which inspires creativity, where the line is unclear between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting vampires, who return from burial sites to terrorise local communities.

The novelist's famous character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith situated on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – feels solid and predictable in contrast to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for factors related to radiation, climatic or entirely legendary, a center for human imaginative power.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide says, "the line between reality and imagination is extremely fine."