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"They call this place the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states a tour guide, his exhalation creating wisps of condensation in the cold evening air. "So many visitors have gone missing here, some say it's a portal to a parallel world." This expert is escorting a traveler on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth native woodland on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of unusual events here go back a long time – this woodland is named after a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea captured on film what he claimed was a flying saucer hovering above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he states, turning to the visitor with a grin. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, shamans, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, curious to experience the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, this woodland is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the tech capital of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and developers are campaigning for authorization to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Except for a limited section home to regionally uncommon oak varieties, the forest is without conservation status, but the guide is confident that the company he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, encouraging the government officials to acknowledge the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their shoes, the guide describes numerous local legends and reported paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account tells of a young child going missing during a group gathering, then to reappear five years later with no memory of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a moment, her clothes shy of the smallest trace of dust.
• More common reports explain mobile phones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Reactions range from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Some people claim noticing strange rashes on their arms, detecting ghostly voices through the trees, or feel palms pushing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the accounts may be hard to prove, there are many things visibly present that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose bases are bent and twisted into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to explain the misshapen plants: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the soil cause their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's tours allow guests to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the forest where Barnea captured his renowned UFO pictures, he passes his guest an EMF meter which measures energy patterns.

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

The vegetation immediately cease as we emerge into a complete ring. The only greenery is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the work of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a location which stirs the imagination, where the border is unclear between truth and myth. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to terrorise local communities.

The famous author's renowned character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure situated on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – seems solid and predictable versus these eerie woods, which appear to be, for factors nuclear, environmental or entirely legendary, a nexus for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," the guide comments, "the division between fact and fiction is extremely fine."