The Hoia Forest is located to the west of the city of Cluj-Napoca, near the open-air section of the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania. The forest is used as a common recreation spot. A biking park has been added to the forest, alongside areas for other sports such as paintball, airsoft, and archery recently.
The Hoia Forest covers an area of approximately 3 square kilometers. Its southern border begins on a ridge which runs east-west. To its north, the forest ends on a smoother slope, which meets the Nadăș River.
Hoia Forest has earned a unique fame in Romania and all over the world over the years due to paranormal phenomena occurring here. On August 18, 1968, a military technician from Cluj named Emil Barnea caught a famous photograph of a UFO over the forest's Poiana Rotundă. Starting in 1960, Alexandru Sift, a professor of biology, has studied the phenomena of light and magnetism, which reportedly occur in Hoia Forest.
This study generated a rich archive of photographs of the phenomena, which was lost few days after Sift's death in 1993. Recently, Dr. Adrian Patruta chemistry professor conducted an investigation into the area, in hopes of explaining Hoia Forest's mysterious sights and sounds. His study revealed that there is a scientific explanation of the phenomena but has not yet disclosed anything until he has proven it.
The enigmatic nature of the forest does not end with its effect on humans, either. In Hoia Forest, misshapen trees sprout irregularly out of the ground, while other trunks seem inquisitively singed. Furthermore, deep in the woods is a closely perfect circular clearing where no plants can grow. Even the woodland creatures of Hoia Forest are strange. A group of hikers once reported that they were surprised by the unexpected appearance of a great wolf. The beast gazed blankly at the intruders, and then calmly walked away.
Perhaps no one will ever know just what is going on in the thick woods of Hoia forest. Speculations of time travel, parallel universe, and doors to other dimensions are certainly inflated. Nevertheless, it is clear there is something uncommon about Hoia Forest that creates shivers down the spines of all those visitors brave enough to visit, says, The Line-up.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
