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"Locals dub this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his breath creating wisps of condensation in the cold dusk atmosphere. "Numerous individuals have gone missing here, many believe there's a gateway to a parallel world." Marius is escorting a traveler on a night walk through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval local woods on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here extend back hundreds of years – the forest is called after a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the distant past, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a unidentified flying object floating above a oval meadow in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But don't worry," he continues, addressing the traveler with a smile. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from worldwide, eager to feel the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being one of the world's premier hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, known as the Silicon Valley of the region – are advancing, and developers are advocating for authorization to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Barring a few hectares containing area-specific oak varieties, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius hopes that the organization he co-founded – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, encouraging the local administrators to recognise the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

As twigs and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their footwear, the guide describes various folk tales and reported supernatural events here.

• One famous story tells of a little girl vanishing during a family outing, only to return after five years with no memory of the events, having not aged a moment, her garments lacking the slightest speck of dirt.
• Regular stories describe cellphones and imaging devices inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Emotional responses include complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Some people state noticing unusual marks on their arms, hearing disembodied whispers through the woodland, or feel hands grabbing them, despite being sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the stories may be unverifiable, there are many things visibly present that is undeniably strange. All around are plants whose trunks are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been suggested to clarify the deformed trees: strong gales could have altered the growth, or typically increased radiation levels in the soil cause their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's excursions allow visitors to engage in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the clearing in the woods where Barnea took his renowned UFO photographs, he passes the visitor an EMF meter which measures EMF readings.

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

The plants abruptly end as we emerge into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath our feet; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the creation of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a area which stirs the imagination, where the division is blurred between fact and folklore. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing creatures, who return from burial sites to terrorise local communities.

Bram Stoker's well-known fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure situated on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – appears tangible and comprehensible in contrast to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for causes related to radiation, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a nexus for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," the guide states, "the division between reality and imagination is extremely fine."