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"They call this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his breath forming wisps of mist in the crisp night air. "Numerous visitors have disappeared here, many believe there's a gateway to another dimension." The guide is leading a traveler on a evening stroll through what is often described as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of ancient local woods on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Stories of strange happenings here extend back hundreds of years – the grove is titled for a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the long ago, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a UFO hovering above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But don't worry," he states, addressing the traveler with a grin. "Our tours have a flawless completion rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, ufologists and paranormal investigators from worldwide, curious to experience the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be among the planet's leading destinations for supernatural fans, the forest is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, known as the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and real estate firms are advocating for authorization to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Barring a small area home to locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is lacking legal protection, but the guide believes that the company he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, encouraging the government officials to recognise the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

As twigs and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their shoes, the guide describes various local legends and reported supernatural events here.

• A well-known account describes a young child disappearing during a group gathering, later to reappear five years later with no memory of her experience, having not aged a single day, her garments shy of the tiniest bit of dust.
• Frequent accounts explain cellphones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings vary from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors state observing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, perceiving ghostly voices through the trees, or experience fingers clutching them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

While many of the stories may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements visibly present that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose trunks are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been proposed to clarify the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the ground explain their unusual development.

But research studies have turned up insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

The guide's tours enable guests to take part in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the meadow in the woods where Barnea photographed his famous UFO images, he hands his guest an ghost-hunting device which measures electromagnetic fields.

"We're entering the most active part of the forest," he says. "Discover what's here."

The trees abruptly end as we emerge into a complete ring. The single plant life is the short grass beneath the ground; it's clear that it's not maintained, and appears that this strange clearing is organic, not the result of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a area which inspires creativity, where the border is indistinct between truth and myth. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, shapeshifting vampires, who emerge from tombs to frighten regional populations.

The famous author's famous vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a Saxon monolith perched on a rocky outcrop in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – seems real and understandable compared to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for causes radioactive, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a center for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide says, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is very thin."