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"They call this location an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his exhalation forming wisps of vapor in the crisp evening air. "Numerous visitors have disappeared here, many believe it's an entrance to a different realm." The guide is leading a traveler on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval indigenous forest on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of bizarre occurrences here extend back centuries – the grove is called after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the distant past, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a flying saucer floating above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he continues, addressing the visitor with a smirk. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, traditional medicine people, ufologists and paranormal investigators from around the globe, curious to experience the mysterious powers reported to reverberate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being among the planet's leading hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is at risk. 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 advancing, and developers are campaigning for authorization to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a few hectares housing locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but the guide hopes that the organization he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, persuading the authorities to recognise the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their shoes, Marius tells numerous local legends and reported ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale tells of a young child going missing during a group gathering, then to return after five years with no recollection of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a moment, her attire without the slightest speck of soil.
• Frequent accounts detail mobile phones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Feelings include full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals report observing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, hearing disembodied whispers through the woodland, or feel hands grabbing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the stories may be unverifiable, there is much visibly present that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are trees whose trunks are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Various suggestions have been given to account for the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the soil explain their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's tours allow guests to engage in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the trees where Barnea took his renowned UFO photographs, he passes the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which measures energy patterns.

"We're entering the most energetic area of the forest," he says. "Discover what's here."

The trees suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this strange clearing is organic, not the work of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a place which stirs the imagination, where the division is indistinct between reality and legend. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting creatures, who rise from their graves to frighten regional populations.

Bram Stoker's famous character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – an ancient structure situated on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – seems solid and predictable in contrast to the haunted grove, which appear to be, for causes radioactive, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a nexus for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," Marius comments, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is extremely fine."