"They call this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a tour guide, his breath forming clouds of mist in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "Numerous people have vanished here, it's thought there's a gateway to a parallel world." Marius is escorting a traveler on a night walk through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth local woods on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.
Reports of strange happenings here date back centuries – this woodland is named after a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea captured on film what he claimed was a unidentified flying object suspended above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.
Countless ventured inside and never came out. But rest assured," he adds, facing his guest with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."
In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from worldwide, eager to feel the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.
Although it is a top global pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is facing danger. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, known as the tech capital of the region – are expanding, and real estate firms are campaigning for approval to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.
Except for a few hectares containing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is without conservation status, but Marius believes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will help to change that, persuading the local administrators to recognise the forest's value as a travel hotspot.
As twigs and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide describes some of the folk tales and alleged paranormal happenings here.
Although numerous of the stories may be unverifiable, numerous elements visibly present that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose trunks are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.
Multiple explanations have been proposed to explain the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the ground explain their crooked growth.
But research studies have found insufficient proof.
The expert's excursions allow visitors to take part in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the woods where Barnea captured his renowned UFO images, he hands the traveler an EMF meter which registers electromagnetic fields.
"We're venturing into the most powerful part of the forest," he comments. "Try to detect something."
The vegetation abruptly end as they step into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the short grass beneath the ground; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this unusual opening is wild, not the work of human hands.
This part of Romania is a area which inspires creativity, where the border is unclear between reality and legend. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing creatures, who rise from their graves to frighten regional populations.
Bram Stoker's famous fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building situated on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".
But including folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – appears tangible and comprehensible compared to the haunted grove, which appear to be, for causes radioactive, environmental or entirely legendary, a nexus for creative energy.
"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius says, "the line between fact and fiction is extremely fine."
Lena Hoffmann is a seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter, specializing in German current affairs and digital media trends.
