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"People refer to this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains a local guide, his exhalation forming wisps of mist in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "So many people have disappeared here, it's thought there's a gateway to another dimension." The guide is leading a visitor on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth local woods on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Stories of strange happenings here extend back hundreds of years – the grove is titled for a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a UFO suspended above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But no need to fear," he continues, addressing the traveler with a grin. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from across the world, interested in encountering the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be among the planet's leading hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, described as the tech capital of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and real estate firms are campaigning for permission to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Barring a small area containing locally rare specific tree species, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the company he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, encouraging the authorities to acknowledge the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their footwear, Marius tells numerous traditional stories and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account describes a five-year-old girl vanishing during a family picnic, later to rematerialise half a decade later with complete amnesia of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a moment, her clothes without the smallest trace of soil.
• Frequent accounts describe mobile phones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses vary from full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals claim noticing unusual marks on their arms, detecting disembodied whispers through the woodland, or feel fingers clutching them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the tales may be unverifiable, there are many things visibly present that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are trees whose trunks are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to clarify the abnormal growth: strong gales could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the ground cause their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have turned up inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's tours permit participants to participate in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the opening in the forest where Barnea took his famous UFO images, he hands the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which detects energy patterns.

"We're venturing into the most powerful area of the forest," he states. "See what you can find."

The vegetation immediately cease as we emerge into a flawless round. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this strange clearing is natural, not the creation of landscaping.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a location which inspires creativity, where the line is blurred between fact and folklore. In countryside villages superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting creatures, who return from burial sites to haunt regional populations.

The famous author's well-known vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith located on a stone formation in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – seems tangible and comprehensible versus these eerie woods, which seem to be, for factors radioactive, atmospheric or purely mythical, a hub for creative energy.

"Within this forest," the guide says, "the boundary between reality and imagination is extremely fine."