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"Locals dub this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, the air from his lungs creating wisps of vapor in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "Numerous individuals have vanished here, it's thought it's an entrance to a different realm." This expert is escorting a traveler on a night walk through what is often described as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval indigenous forest on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of strange happenings here date back hundreds of years – the grove is titled for a local shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the long ago, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a unidentified flying object hovering above a oval meadow in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But rest assured," he states, facing the traveler with a grin. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, traditional medicine people, ufologists and ghost hunters from across the world, interested in encountering the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, the grove is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, called the innovation center of the region – are expanding, and developers are campaigning for approval to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Barring a small area home to regionally uncommon oak varieties, the grove is not officially protected, but the guide is confident that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, encouraging the authorities to recognise the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their shoes, the guide describes some of the folk tales and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale describes a five-year-old girl disappearing during a group gathering, then to rematerialise half a decade later with no recollection of what had happened, without aging a moment, her clothes shy of the tiniest bit of dirt.
• More common reports describe mobile phones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Feelings include full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors state seeing strange rashes on their arms, detecting ghostly voices through the forest, or sense fingers clutching them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there is much clearly observable that is undeniably strange. Throughout the area are vegetation whose trunks are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Different theories have been suggested to explain the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the soil explain their unusual development.

But research studies have found insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

The guide's walks enable guests to participate in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the clearing in the woods where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO images, he hands his guest an electromagnetic field detector which detects electromagnetic fields.

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

The trees suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a complete ring. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this strange clearing is wild, not the result of human hands.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a place which fuels fantasy, where the line is unclear between truth and myth. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering vampires, who emerge from tombs to terrorise nearby villages.

The famous author's famous vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a Saxon monolith situated on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – feels solid and predictable compared to the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for factors nuclear, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a hub for creative energy.

"Within this forest," the guide says, "the line between fact and fiction is very thin."