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"They call this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states a local guide, his breath producing clouds of vapor in the cold dusk atmosphere. "Numerous individuals have gone missing here, many believe it's an entrance to a parallel world." The guide is guiding a traveler on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient native woodland on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of bizarre occurrences here date back centuries – the forest is named after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the long ago, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a unidentified flying object suspended above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he states, turning to the visitor with a smile. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from across the world, curious to experience the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being among the planet's leading hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the tech capital of the region – are expanding, and developers are campaigning for permission to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Barring a limited section home to locally rare oak varieties, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the company he helped establish – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, motivating the government officials to appreciate the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

While branches and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their shoes, the guide tells numerous local legends and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story recounts a five-year-old girl vanishing during a group gathering, later to rematerialise five years later with no recollection of her experience, having not aged a day, her garments without the tiniest bit of soil.
• More common reports explain cellphones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions include full-blown dread to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors state noticing unusual marks on their arms, hearing disembodied whispers through the forest, or feel hands grabbing them, even when sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the stories may be hard to prove, numerous elements visibly present that is certainly unusual. All around are vegetation whose trunks are warped and gnarled into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been suggested to explain the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or naturally high radiation levels in the earth account for their crooked growth.

But research studies have turned up inconclusive results.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's excursions allow visitors to engage in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the trees where Barnea photographed his famous UFO photographs, he hands the traveler an ghost-hunting device which measures energy patterns.

"We're stepping into the most energetic section of the forest," he says. "Try to detect something."

The vegetation abruptly end as they step into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this unusual opening is organic, not the result of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a place which fuels fantasy, where the division is unclear between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to frighten nearby villages.

The novelist's famous vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – an ancient structure perched on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – feels solid and predictable in contrast to these eerie woods, which seem to be, for causes radioactive, environmental or simply folkloric, a hub for creative energy.

"Within this forest," the guide says, "the line between reality and imagination is remarkably blurred."