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"People refer to this place the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his breath producing wisps of condensation in the cold dusk atmosphere. "So many people have vanished here, some say it's an entrance to a parallel world." Marius is escorting a visitor on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth indigenous forest on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of bizarre occurrences here extend back a long time – the grove is called after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, accompanied by his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a flying saucer floating above a oval meadow in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But don't worry," he continues, addressing the traveler with a smile. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from worldwide, interested in encountering the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Although it is one of the world's premier hotspots for supernatural fans, the grove is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, known as the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and developers are pushing for permission to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Barring a small area housing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is without conservation status, but Marius hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, motivating the government officials to appreciate the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their shoes, Marius describes numerous folk tales and alleged supernatural events here.

• One famous story recounts a young child disappearing during a family outing, later to rematerialise after five years with complete amnesia of what had happened, without aging a day, her garments shy of the slightest speck of soil.
• More common reports describe cellphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Feelings include complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Some people claim observing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, detecting disembodied whispers through the forest, or sense palms pushing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the accounts may be unverifiable, numerous elements visibly present that is certainly unusual. All around are trees whose trunks are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been given to account for the deformed trees: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or naturally high radiation levels in the ground explain their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's walks allow guests to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the opening in the trees where Barnea took his renowned UFO photographs, he passes the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which measures energy patterns.

"We're stepping into the most energetic part of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The plants suddenly stop dead as they step into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this strange clearing is wild, not the creation of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a place which stirs the imagination, where the border is unclear between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering vampires, who return from burial sites to terrorise regional populations.

The famous author's renowned vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a Saxon monolith situated on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – appears tangible and comprehensible in contrast to this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for reasons nuclear, environmental or simply folkloric, a center for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius says, "the division between fact and fiction is extremely fine."