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"People refer to this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, the air from his lungs producing wisps of mist in the cold evening air. "Numerous visitors have vanished here, many believe there's a gateway to a different realm." The guide is escorting a traveler on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval local woods on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of bizarre occurrences here date back a long time – this woodland is titled for a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the distant past, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a UFO hovering above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he adds, addressing the visitor with a smile. "Our tours have a flawless completion rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, ufologists and paranormal investigators from worldwide, interested in encountering the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being a top global destinations for supernatural fans, this woodland is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, known as the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and construction companies are campaigning for approval to cut down the woods to build apartment blocks.

Except for a few hectares housing area-specific oak varieties, this woodland is not officially protected, but the guide is confident that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, persuading the authorities to acknowledge the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their boots, Marius tells some of the traditional stories and reported ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story tells of a young child vanishing during a group gathering, later to reappear five years later with no memory of the events, having not aged a single day, her attire lacking the tiniest bit of dust.
• Frequent accounts describe smartphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses include complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals report seeing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, hearing ghostly voices through the woodland, or sense hands grabbing them, despite being sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the stories may be impossible to confirm, there are many things clearly observable that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are trees whose trunks are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been proposed to clarify the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the ground explain their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have turned up inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's tours permit participants to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the forest where Barnea photographed his famous UFO pictures, he passes the visitor an EMF meter which detects electromagnetic fields.

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

The vegetation suddenly stop dead as the group enters into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this unusual opening is organic, not the creation of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a place which fuels fantasy, where the line is indistinct between reality and legend. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting creatures, who emerge from tombs to frighten local communities.

Bram Stoker's well-known character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building perched on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – appears tangible and comprehensible versus this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for factors nuclear, atmospheric or purely mythical, a center for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius states, "the division between reality and imagination is very thin."