🔗 Share this article Venturing into the Planet's Most Ghostly Woodland: Gnarled Trees, Unidentified Flying Objects and Spooky Stories in Romania's Legendary Region. "People refer to this location an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his exhalation producing puffs of condensation in the chilly night air. "So many individuals have vanished here, some say it's an entrance to a parallel world." Marius is escorting a guest on a night walk through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth native woodland on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca. Centuries of Mystery Reports of strange happenings here extend back hundreds of years – this woodland is called after a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the long ago, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a UFO floating above a oval meadow in the centre of the forest. Many came in here and failed to return. But don't worry," he states, turning to the traveler with a smile. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate." In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from worldwide, curious to experience the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest. Contemporary Dangers Despite being a top global hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, described as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and developers are campaigning for authorization to clear the trees to erect housing complexes. Except for a few hectares containing regionally uncommon specific tree species, the forest is without conservation status, but the guide hopes that the organization he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, encouraging the authorities to appreciate the forest's significance as a tourist attraction. Eerie Encounters When small sticks and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius describes various traditional stories and alleged paranormal happenings here. One famous story tells of a little girl disappearing during a family outing, later to reappear after five years with no recollection of what had happened, without aging a day, her clothes shy of the slightest speck of soil. More common reports describe smartphones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest. Reactions vary from absolute fear to feelings of joy. Some people report observing unusual marks on their arms, perceiving unseen murmurs through the trees, or experience palms pushing them, although certain nobody is nearby. Study Attempts Despite several of the stories may be hard to prove, there are many things clearly observable that is certainly unusual. All around are vegetation whose trunks are warped and gnarled into unusual forms. Various suggestions have been suggested to account for the misshapen plants: strong gales could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the ground account for their unusual development. But formal examinations have found insufficient proof. The Notorious Meadow Marius's excursions allow guests to take part in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the opening in the trees where Barnea took his well-known UFO pictures, he passes the visitor an EMF meter which measures energy patterns. "We're entering the most powerful part of the forest," he states. "Discover what's here." The trees immediately cease as we emerge into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this strange clearing is wild, not the creation of human hands. Fact Versus Fiction This part of Romania is a area which inspires creativity, where the border is indistinct between reality and legend. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting creatures, who emerge from tombs to terrorise local communities. The novelist's well-known fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith located on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle". But including folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – appears solid and predictable versus this spooky forest, which appear to be, for causes related to radiation, climatic or purely mythical, a center for human imaginative power. "Inside these woods," the guide says, "the line between fact and fiction is extremely fine."