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"Locals dub this location an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his exhalation producing puffs of mist in the crisp night air. "Countless people have disappeared here, some say it's an entrance to another dimension." The guide is guiding a visitor on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient local woods on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of unusual events here date back a long time – this woodland is called after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a UFO hovering above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he adds, turning to the visitor with a smile. "Our excursions have a flawless completion rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, shamans, ufologists and ghost hunters from across the world, curious to experience the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be a top global pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, called the tech capital of eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are pushing for permission to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Except for a few hectares containing area-specific specific tree species, this woodland is not officially protected, but the guide hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the authorities to appreciate the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and fall foliage split and rustle beneath their shoes, the guide recounts various local legends and claimed supernatural events here.

• A popular tale recounts a five-year-old girl disappearing during a group gathering, only to return half a decade later with no memory of her experience, having not aged a moment, her clothes without the slightest speck of dust.
• More common reports describe mobile phones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Reactions include absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Some people state observing unusual marks on their arms, detecting ghostly voices through the woodland, or experience fingers clutching them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the tales may be hard to prove, there are many things clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are plants whose stems are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to clarify the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or naturally high radioactivity in the ground account for their unusual development.

But research studies have found insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's tours permit visitors to engage in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the meadow in the trees where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO images, he passes his guest an EMF meter which registers electromagnetic fields.

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

The vegetation suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the short grass beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the work of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a place which stirs the imagination, where the division is indistinct between truth and myth. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to terrorise regional populations.

The famous author's renowned character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure located on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – appears tangible and comprehensible compared to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for reasons radioactive, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a hub for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius states, "the division between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."