🔗 Share this article

"People refer to this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states a tour guide, his exhalation forming wisps of condensation in the cold night air. "Countless people have vanished here, many believe there's a gateway to a different realm." Marius is leading a traveler on a evening stroll through commonly known as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval native woodland on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of strange happenings here date back centuries – the grove is titled for a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a unidentified flying object suspended above a round opening in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But no need to fear," he states, turning to the traveler with a smile. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, spiritual healers, ufologists and ghost hunters from worldwide, interested in encountering the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is a top global destinations for supernatural fans, this woodland is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, described as the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and real estate firms are campaigning for authorization to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a limited section housing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is lacking legal protection, but Marius is confident that the company he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, persuading the government officials to acknowledge the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

As twigs and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their footwear, Marius tells some of the local legends and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale recounts a little girl vanishing during a family picnic, then to rematerialise after five years with no memory of the events, without aging a day, her clothes shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• More common reports describe smartphones and imaging devices inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Emotional responses include full-blown dread to feelings of joy.
• Some people report noticing strange rashes on their arms, perceiving ghostly voices through the trees, or feel palms pushing them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

While many of the tales may be hard to prove, there are many things before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are vegetation whose trunks are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been proposed to explain the deformed trees: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or naturally high radioactivity in the ground explain their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks permit visitors to participate in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the clearing in the trees where Barnea captured his well-known UFO images, he passes the visitor an ghost-hunting device which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're venturing into the most active section of the forest," he comments. "Try to detect something."

The plants immediately cease as they step into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and seems that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the work of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a location which fuels fantasy, where the border is unclear between reality and legend. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting vampires, who return from burial sites to frighten regional populations.

The famous author's renowned fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building located on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – feels tangible and comprehensible versus the haunted grove, which seem to be, for reasons nuclear, atmospheric or purely mythical, a center for fantasy projection.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide comments, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."