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"They call this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, his exhalation creating clouds of mist in the cold night air. "Countless visitors have disappeared here, it's thought there's a gateway to another dimension." This expert is guiding a guest on a evening stroll through what is often described as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval native woodland on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of unusual events here date back a long time – this woodland is named after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, together with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a unidentified flying object suspended above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But no need to fear," he states, facing the traveler with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, shamans, ufologists and paranormal investigators from around the globe, eager to feel the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being one of the world's premier hotspots for supernatural fans, the forest is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, described as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are advancing, and developers are campaigning for approval to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a small area housing locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is without conservation status, but the guide is confident that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the authorities to recognise the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

While branches and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius recounts numerous folk tales and alleged supernatural events here.

• A popular tale describes a five-year-old girl going missing during a group gathering, only to return five years later with complete amnesia of the events, having not aged a day, her clothes shy of the smallest trace of dust.
• More common reports explain smartphones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Reactions range from complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors report observing unusual marks on their bodies, perceiving unseen murmurs through the woodland, or experience palms pushing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the accounts may be impossible to confirm, there is much clearly observable that is undeniably strange. All around are vegetation whose stems are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been given to account for the misshapen plants: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the ground account for their crooked growth.

But research studies have turned up inconclusive results.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's excursions permit participants to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the clearing in the forest where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO pictures, he hands the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which measures electromagnetic fields.

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

The plants abruptly end as the group enters into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the short grass beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this unusual opening is natural, not the creation of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a place which fuels fantasy, where the border is unclear between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting vampires, who emerge from tombs to terrorise nearby villages.

The novelist's renowned character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith perched on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But even legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – feels tangible and comprehensible in contrast to this spooky forest, which appear to be, for reasons radioactive, climatic or simply folkloric, a center for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide states, "the line between truth and fantasy is extremely fine."