🔗 Share this article

"Locals dub this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states a tour guide, his breath forming wisps of condensation in the crisp evening air. "Numerous individuals have disappeared here, it's thought it's an entrance to a different realm." The guide is guiding a guest on a night walk through what is often described as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval indigenous forest on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of strange happenings here date back centuries – the forest is named after a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a unidentified flying object suspended above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and never came out. But no need to fear," he continues, facing the visitor with a smirk. "Our tours have a flawless completion rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from across the world, curious to experience the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is one of the world's premier destinations for lovers of the paranormal, this woodland is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and construction companies are advocating for approval to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Except for a small area housing locally rare specific tree species, the forest is not officially protected, but the guide is confident that the initiative he co-founded – a local conservation effort – will help to change that, motivating the government officials to acknowledge the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their shoes, Marius describes some of the folk tales and reported paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account tells of a young child disappearing during a family outing, then to return five years later with no memory of the events, showing no signs of aging a day, her garments lacking the smallest trace of dust.
• Frequent accounts detail mobile phones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses range from full-blown dread to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors claim noticing strange rashes on their skin, perceiving ghostly voices through the forest, or feel hands grabbing them, although sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the tales may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements clearly observable that is undeniably strange. Throughout the area are vegetation whose trunks are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been suggested to explain the misshapen plants: strong gales could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the earth explain their unusual development.

But formal examinations have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's walks enable visitors to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the woods where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO images, he hands the traveler an ghost-hunting device which detects energy patterns.

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

The trees suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a complete ring. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this unusual opening is natural, not the work of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a location which stirs the imagination, where the division is unclear between reality and legend. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing vampires, who emerge from tombs to haunt nearby villages.

The famous author's famous fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building situated on a stone formation in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – appears real and understandable compared to the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for causes radioactive, environmental or purely mythical, a hub for fantasy projection.

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