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"They call this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a local guide, the air from his lungs forming wisps of vapor in the cold evening air. "Numerous people have disappeared here, it's thought there's a gateway to a different realm." This expert is leading a guest on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient native woodland on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here go back a long time – the grove is titled for a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a UFO hovering above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and never came out. But rest assured," he continues, addressing the visitor with a smirk. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from worldwide, curious to experience the mysterious powers reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being a top global hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are advancing, and real estate firms are advocating for authorization to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Barring a small area housing regionally uncommon oak varieties, this woodland is not officially protected, but Marius hopes that the initiative he helped establish – a local conservation effort – will help to change that, motivating the authorities to acknowledge the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their shoes, the guide recounts various local legends and reported supernatural events here.

• A well-known account recounts a young child vanishing during a family outing, later to return after five years with no recollection of what had happened, having not aged a single day, her garments lacking the smallest trace of dust.
• Regular stories describe mobile phones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Emotional responses include absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors claim observing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, detecting ghostly voices through the woodland, or experience hands grabbing them, even when sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the stories may be unverifiable, numerous elements visibly present that is definitely bizarre. All around are trees whose bases are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Different theories have been given to account for the misshapen plants: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the ground account for their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's walks enable participants to take part in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the trees where Barnea captured his renowned UFO pictures, he gives the traveler an ghost-hunting device which detects energy patterns.

"We're entering the most active area of the forest," he comments. "Try to detect something."

The plants abruptly end as we emerge into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this unusual opening is natural, not the work of people.

The Blurred Line

The broader region is a area which fuels fantasy, where the division is indistinct between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering vampires, who emerge from tombs to terrorise nearby villages.

The novelist's well-known vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – an ancient structure located on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – seems tangible and comprehensible compared to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for reasons related to radiation, environmental or entirely legendary, a hub for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius says, "the boundary between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."