🔗 Share this article Delving into this Planet's Most Ghostly Forest: Contorted Trees, Flying Saucers and Chilling Accounts in Romania's Legendary Region. "They call this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, his breath producing wisps of vapor in the chilly night air. "Countless people have disappeared here, it's thought it's an entrance to another dimension." Marius is leading a visitor on a night walk through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval native woodland on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca. A Long History of the Unexplained Accounts of unusual events here go back hundreds of years – the grove is titled for a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the distant past, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a unidentified flying object hovering above a round opening in the heart of the forest. Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But don't worry," he adds, turning to the traveler with a smile. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate." In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from around the globe, eager to feel the strange energies said to echo 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 – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and developers are advocating for permission to clear the trees to build apartment blocks. Barring a limited section home to locally rare oak varieties, this woodland is without conservation status, but the guide hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the government officials to acknowledge the forest's importance as a visitor destination. Spooky Experiences When small sticks and fall foliage split and rustle beneath their boots, the guide recounts some of the local legends and claimed supernatural events here. A popular tale recounts a little girl disappearing during a family outing, then to rematerialise half a decade later with no recollection of her experience, having not aged a moment, her clothes without the tiniest bit of dust. Frequent accounts detail mobile phones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on venturing inside. Emotional responses vary from absolute fear to states of ecstasy. Certain individuals state seeing unusual marks on their bodies, hearing ghostly voices through the trees, or feel fingers clutching them, despite being certain nobody is nearby. Scientific Investigations Although numerous of the accounts may be hard to prove, there are many things visibly present that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are warped and gnarled into fantastical shapes. Different theories have been suggested to account for the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or typically increased radiation levels in the ground cause their strange formation. But scientific investigations have discovered no satisfactory evidence. The Notorious Meadow The guide's tours permit participants to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the forest where Barnea took his famous UFO images, he passes the visitor an EMF meter which detects EMF readings. "We're entering the most powerful area of the forest," he states. "Discover what's here." The plants suddenly stop dead as they step into a flawless round. The only greenery is the short grass beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the work of human hands. The Blurred Line The broader region is a area which stirs the imagination, where the border is unclear between reality and legend. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering creatures, who emerge from tombs to frighten nearby villages. The famous author's famous fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith situated on a rocky outcrop in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home". But even folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – seems solid and predictable compared to this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a nexus for fantasy projection. "In Hoia-Baciu," the guide comments, "the line between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."