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"They call this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, his exhalation creating clouds of vapor in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "Countless people have disappeared here, some say it's an entrance to a parallel world." The guide is leading a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval local woods on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Stories of bizarre occurrences here date back hundreds of years – this woodland is titled for a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a flying saucer hovering above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But don't worry," he adds, addressing his guest with a smirk. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from around the globe, curious to experience the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is a top global pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, the forest is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, called the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and developers are campaigning for authorization to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Except for a limited section home to locally rare specific tree species, this woodland is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, encouraging the local administrators to recognise the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their boots, the guide recounts various local legends and reported supernatural events here.

• One famous story describes a young child vanishing during a family picnic, later to reappear five years later with complete amnesia of what had happened, having not aged a day, her attire without the smallest trace of dirt.
• More common reports explain mobile phones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Feelings vary from complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors claim seeing strange rashes on their arms, detecting unseen murmurs through the forest, or experience fingers clutching them, although sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the tales may be hard to prove, numerous elements clearly observable that is undeniably strange. All around are plants whose stems are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been suggested to explain the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radioactivity in the soil cause their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks enable guests to engage in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the clearing in the trees where Barnea photographed his famous UFO pictures, he passes the visitor an EMF meter which registers energy patterns.

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

The plants suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and seems that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the result of people.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a area which inspires creativity, where the division is blurred between fact and folklore. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering vampires, who rise from their graves to terrorise nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's renowned vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith situated on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – feels tangible and comprehensible compared to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for causes related to radiation, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a nexus for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," Marius comments, "the line between fact and fiction is very thin."