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"They call this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, his breath creating clouds of mist in the cold night air. "Numerous individuals have gone missing here, some say it's a portal to another dimension." This expert is leading a visitor on a night walk through commonly known as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth native woodland on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Stories of unusual events here date back a long time – the grove is called after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea captured on film what he claimed was a flying saucer floating above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But no need to fear," he continues, facing the traveler with a smirk. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, ufologists and paranormal investigators from around the globe, interested in encountering the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being a top global hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, described as the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and real estate firms are campaigning for approval to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a small area housing area-specific oak varieties, the grove is lacking legal protection, but the guide is confident that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the local administrators to recognise the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their footwear, the guide describes numerous traditional stories and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story recounts a little girl vanishing during a family outing, then to rematerialise half a decade later with no memory of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a moment, her clothes without the smallest trace of dust.
• More common reports describe smartphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions include absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Certain individuals state noticing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, perceiving unseen murmurs through the forest, or sense fingers clutching them, although sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

While many of the stories may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements clearly observable that is certainly unusual. All around are plants whose stems are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Multiple explanations have been given to account for the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the ground account for their strange formation.

But research studies have discovered inconclusive results.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's walks permit visitors to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the trees where Barnea captured his well-known UFO pictures, he passes his guest an EMF meter which measures EMF readings.

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

The plants immediately cease as we emerge into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this strange clearing is wild, not the result of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a place which stirs the imagination, where the line is blurred between reality and legend. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to frighten regional populations.

The novelist's well-known character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure located on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – feels tangible and comprehensible in contrast to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for factors nuclear, climatic or purely mythical, a nexus for human imaginative power.

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