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"People refer to this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains a local guide, his breath producing puffs of vapor in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "Numerous people have disappeared here, many believe it's an entrance to a different realm." This expert is guiding a guest on a night walk through commonly known as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval local woods on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here go back centuries – this woodland is named after a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a flying saucer suspended above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But no need to fear," he states, addressing the traveler with a smile. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, ufologists and supernatural researchers from across the world, curious to experience the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be a top global pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, this woodland is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and developers are advocating for authorization to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Except for a few hectares housing locally rare specific tree species, the grove is without conservation status, but the guide is confident that the company he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, persuading the local administrators to recognise the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

As twigs and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their boots, the guide tells various traditional stories and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale tells of a little girl going missing during a family outing, then to return after five years with no recollection of what had happened, having not aged a single day, her attire lacking the smallest trace of dirt.
• More common reports describe smartphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Feelings range from complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Some people state noticing unusual marks on their skin, detecting unseen murmurs through the forest, or feel hands grabbing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the tales may be hard to prove, there is much visibly present that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are trees whose trunks are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to account for the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the soil account for their strange formation.

But formal examinations have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's excursions permit guests to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the forest where Barnea took his famous UFO images, he passes the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which measures energy patterns.

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

The vegetation abruptly end as they step into a complete ring. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and seems that this unusual opening is organic, not the work of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a place which inspires creativity, where the line is blurred between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to haunt local communities.

Bram Stoker's famous character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building perched on a stone formation in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – appears real and understandable in contrast to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for causes radioactive, climatic or simply folkloric, a center for human imaginative power.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide states, "the division between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."