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"People refer to this place the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, the air from his lungs producing clouds of mist in the crisp night air. "Countless people have disappeared here, many believe it's an entrance to another dimension." This expert is guiding a visitor on a night walk through what is often described as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of ancient indigenous forest on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of unusual events here go back centuries – this woodland is titled for a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea captured on film what he claimed was a flying saucer suspended above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But no need to fear," he adds, turning to his guest with a grin. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from worldwide, interested in encountering the unusual forces said to echo through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Although it is one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, the forest is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and real estate firms are pushing for approval to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Barring a limited section housing regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but Marius hopes that the initiative he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the authorities to recognise the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

As twigs and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their boots, the guide recounts some of the traditional stories and reported supernatural events here.

• One famous story recounts a five-year-old girl disappearing during a family picnic, then to reappear after five years with no recollection of what had happened, having not aged a single day, her garments without the slightest speck of soil.
• Regular stories describe smartphones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses range from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors state seeing strange rashes on their arms, detecting ghostly voices through the forest, or experience palms pushing them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

While many of the stories may be impossible to confirm, there is much clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are trees whose stems are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been suggested to account for the abnormal growth: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radiation levels in the soil account for their crooked growth.

But research studies have turned up insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks enable participants to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the clearing in the forest where Barnea took his famous UFO images, he gives the traveler an EMF meter which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're stepping into the most powerful area of the forest," he says. "See what you can find."

The plants immediately cease as the group enters into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and seems that this strange clearing is wild, not the creation of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a area which stirs the imagination, where the division is unclear between fact and folklore. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering creatures, who emerge from tombs to terrorise local communities.

The novelist's famous fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building perched on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – appears solid and predictable versus the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for reasons nuclear, environmental or simply folkloric, a nexus for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide comments, "the line between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."