🔗 Share this article

"People refer to this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his exhalation forming clouds of mist in the cold dusk atmosphere. "Countless visitors have vanished here, some say there's a gateway to a parallel world." This expert is guiding a visitor on a night walk through what is often described as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient indigenous forest on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of unusual events here extend back centuries – the forest is titled for a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a UFO suspended above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But no need to fear," he adds, facing the traveler with a smile. "Our tours have a flawless completion rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, shamans, ufologists and supernatural researchers from across the world, interested in encountering the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be one of the world's premier destinations for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, called the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and construction companies are advocating for authorization to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Barring a small area containing locally rare oak varieties, this woodland is not officially protected, but Marius is confident that the company he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will help to change that, motivating the government officials to acknowledge the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

As twigs and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their boots, the guide recounts numerous traditional stories and claimed supernatural events here.

• One famous story tells of a young child disappearing during a family outing, then to reappear five years later with complete amnesia of her experience, having not aged a day, her garments without the smallest trace of dirt.
• Frequent accounts explain cellphones 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 bodies, hearing unseen murmurs through the forest, or experience palms pushing them, even when sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the stories may be unverifiable, there are many things clearly observable that is certainly unusual. All around are vegetation whose stems are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been given to clarify the deformed trees: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the earth explain their strange formation.

But research studies have found inconclusive results.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's excursions enable participants to participate in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the meadow in the trees where Barnea took his renowned UFO photographs, he passes the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which registers EMF readings.

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

The vegetation abruptly end as we emerge into a complete ring. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the work of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a place which stirs the imagination, where the division is indistinct between truth and myth. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to frighten local communities.

Bram Stoker's renowned character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure situated on a cliff edge in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – appears solid and predictable versus the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, climatic or entirely legendary, a hub for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," the guide states, "the line between reality and imagination is remarkably blurred."