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"People refer to this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks a tour guide, his exhalation creating clouds of condensation in the cold evening air. "So many people have vanished here, it's thought there's a gateway to a different realm." Marius is leading a guest on a evening stroll through what is often described as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval local woods on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of bizarre occurrences here extend back centuries – this woodland is called after a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the long ago, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a flying saucer suspended above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But no need to fear," he adds, facing his guest with a smile. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from across the world, curious to experience the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be among the planet's leading destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is facing danger. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, described as the tech capital of the region – are encroaching, and real estate firms are advocating for authorization to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Except for a limited section housing area-specific oak varieties, the grove is without conservation status, but the guide believes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, persuading the government officials to recognise the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius tells some of the traditional stories and reported supernatural events here.

• A popular tale tells of a five-year-old girl going missing during a family outing, later to return half a decade later with no memory of what had happened, having not aged a moment, her clothes shy of the slightest speck of soil.
• Regular stories explain mobile phones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Reactions include complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Some people report observing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, hearing unseen murmurs through the forest, or sense fingers clutching them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the accounts may be hard to prove, there is much visibly present that is certainly unusual. All around are trees whose bases are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been given to account for the deformed trees: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased radioactivity in the ground cause their strange formation.

But formal examinations have turned up insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's walks enable visitors to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the clearing in the trees where Barnea photographed his famous UFO pictures, he passes the visitor an EMF meter which measures EMF readings.

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

The plants abruptly end as we emerge into a flawless round. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this unusual opening is organic, not the result of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a area which stirs the imagination, where the line is blurred between reality and legend. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing creatures, who emerge from tombs to terrorise regional populations.

The famous author's well-known vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith located on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – seems real and understandable versus this spooky forest, which appear to be, for causes nuclear, climatic or purely mythical, a center for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," the guide states, "the line between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."