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"People refer to this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his exhalation forming puffs of vapor in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "Numerous individuals have gone missing here, many believe there's a gateway to a different realm." The guide is leading a traveler on a night walk through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval indigenous forest on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Accounts of strange happenings here extend back hundreds of years – the forest is titled for a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the long ago, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a unidentified flying object hovering above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he continues, turning to his guest with a grin. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from around the globe, curious to experience the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being a top global destinations for supernatural fans, this woodland is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, described as the innovation center of the region – are advancing, and construction companies are pushing for approval to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a limited section containing area-specific oak varieties, this woodland is without conservation status, but the guide is confident that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the local administrators to appreciate the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their boots, Marius recounts some of the local legends and reported ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account tells of a young child vanishing during a group gathering, later to return five years later with complete amnesia of her experience, having not aged a moment, her garments shy of the tiniest bit of soil.
• More common reports describe mobile phones and photography gear inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses range from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals report observing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, detecting ghostly voices through the forest, or sense fingers clutching them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the tales may be hard to prove, numerous elements before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. All around are plants whose stems are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been given to account for the misshapen plants: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the ground account for their strange formation.

But formal examinations have turned up insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's walks allow guests to take part in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the meadow in the trees where Barnea captured his famous UFO photographs, he passes the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which registers EMF readings.

"We're venturing into the most powerful part of the forest," he says. "Discover what's here."

The plants abruptly end as the group enters into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the short grass beneath the ground; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the work of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a location which stirs the imagination, where the border is unclear between reality and legend. In countryside villages superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to haunt regional populations.

The famous author's famous character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure situated on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – seems solid and predictable in contrast to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for reasons related to radiation, climatic or entirely legendary, a nexus for fantasy projection.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius says, "the boundary between reality and imagination is very thin."