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"Locals dub this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states a local guide, his exhalation creating puffs of mist in the chilly evening air. "Countless people have disappeared here, many believe there's a gateway to another dimension." This expert is guiding a traveler on a night walk through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval native woodland on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of strange happenings here extend back hundreds of years – the grove is called after a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the distant past, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a flying saucer floating above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But don't worry," he states, facing the traveler with a smirk. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, traditional medicine people, ufologists and ghost hunters from around the globe, eager to feel the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being a top global hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, called the innovation center of eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are pushing for permission to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Barring a limited section containing regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is not officially protected, but the guide hopes that the company he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the local administrators to recognise the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their shoes, the guide describes numerous traditional stories and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account recounts a five-year-old girl vanishing during a family outing, later to return half a decade later with no recollection of her experience, without aging a moment, her clothes shy of the tiniest bit of soil.
• More common reports detail cellphones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Reactions include absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals state observing unusual marks on their arms, detecting unseen murmurs through the forest, or feel fingers clutching them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

While many of the tales may be unverifiable, there is much visibly present that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are plants whose trunks are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been proposed to account for the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or naturally high radiation levels in the soil explain their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's walks permit participants to engage in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the woods where Barnea captured his well-known UFO photographs, he passes his guest an EMF meter which detects EMF readings.

"We're venturing into the most active section of the forest," he comments. "Try to detect something."

The plants immediately cease as they step into a flawless round. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's not maintained, and seems that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the result of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a place which inspires creativity, where the line is blurred between truth and myth. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting creatures, who emerge from tombs to terrorise local communities.

Bram Stoker's renowned vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith located on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – seems real and understandable in contrast to the haunted grove, which appear to be, for factors nuclear, environmental or simply folkloric, a hub for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," Marius comments, "the line between reality and imagination is very thin."