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"They call this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states a local guide, his exhalation creating clouds of mist in the cold dusk atmosphere. "Numerous visitors have gone missing here, many believe there's a gateway to another dimension." The guide is leading a visitor on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient native woodland on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of unusual events here extend back centuries – the forest is named after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a flying saucer hovering above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But no need to fear," he continues, facing the traveler with a smile. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, spiritual healers, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from around the globe, interested in encountering the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Although it is a top global hotspots for supernatural fans, the grove is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, described as the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and real estate firms are campaigning for permission to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Barring a small area housing regionally uncommon oak varieties, the grove is lacking legal protection, but the guide hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, persuading the government officials to recognise the forest's significance as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their shoes, the guide tells numerous local legends and reported supernatural events here.

• A popular tale describes a five-year-old girl going missing during a group gathering, then to return half a decade later with no recollection of the events, showing no signs of aging a day, her garments without the slightest speck of dust.
• Frequent accounts explain smartphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings include full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals claim noticing unusual marks on their arms, perceiving disembodied whispers through the trees, or sense hands grabbing them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

While many of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there are many things visibly present that is definitely bizarre. All around are plants whose bases are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been suggested to clarify the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the earth account for their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have found insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's walks allow participants to take part in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the clearing in the trees where Barnea photographed his famous UFO photographs, he gives the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which registers electromagnetic fields.

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

The vegetation suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath the ground; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and seems that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the result of human hands.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a location which inspires creativity, where the line is blurred between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering vampires, who rise from their graves to haunt nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's well-known character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a Saxon monolith situated on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – feels solid and predictable in contrast to this spooky forest, which appear to be, for reasons related to radiation, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a nexus for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius comments, "the boundary between reality and imagination is extremely fine."