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"They call this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks a tour guide, his breath producing wisps of vapor in the crisp night air. "So many visitors have disappeared here, many believe it's a portal to a parallel world." This expert is escorting a traveler on a evening stroll through commonly known as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient indigenous forest on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here extend back a long time – this woodland is titled for a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a unidentified flying object suspended above a oval meadow in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But rest assured," he adds, facing the traveler with a grin. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from across the world, curious to experience the unusual forces said to echo through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being among the planet's leading destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and real estate firms are advocating for permission to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Barring a small area containing regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is without conservation status, but Marius hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, encouraging the government officials to acknowledge the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

While branches and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their shoes, the guide tells some of the traditional stories and reported ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account tells of a five-year-old girl vanishing during a family outing, only to return after five years with no recollection of her experience, having not aged a day, her clothes shy of the smallest trace of dust.
• Frequent accounts describe mobile phones and imaging devices inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions range from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals claim observing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, perceiving disembodied whispers through the woodland, or experience fingers clutching them, although sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

While many of the tales may be unverifiable, there is much before my eyes that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are trees whose trunks are warped and gnarled into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been proposed to explain the deformed trees: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the earth cause their strange formation.

But research studies have found insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's tours allow participants to engage in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the trees where Barnea captured his renowned UFO photographs, he gives the visitor an EMF meter which detects energy patterns.

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

The plants suddenly stop dead as they step into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this unusual opening is organic, not the work of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

The broader region is a area which fuels fantasy, where the border is unclear between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing vampires, who return from burial sites to terrorise local communities.

The famous author's famous fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – an ancient structure perched on a stone formation in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – seems solid and predictable compared to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for factors nuclear, environmental or entirely legendary, a hub for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius says, "the division between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."