Fascinating and ancient labyrinth
The labyrinth shows us that there are many paths to our ultimate goal, and failure is often the only way for us to succeed.
Creative, twisted and challenging, the labyrinth is one of the most important cultural products of humanity. Those childhood games challenge human beings' philosophical speculation and pursuit of mystery and unknown, complexity and simplicity, sensibility and rationality in incredible ways.
As a design landscape, the labyrinth has always fascinated people. The Cretan labyrinth, built in ancient Greece, is the earliest and most well-known labyrinth. Legend has it that the passages are interlaced in this labyrinth built by the ancient Greek artist, sculptor and architect Daedalus for King Minos of Knossos, and whoever walks in will never find an exit. Minos imprisons his unchaste wife in a labyrinth, because her wife has a crush on the mythical white bull and gives birth to a monster with a bull's head.
In the 16th century, Renaissance Europe was very popular in building labyrinths in gardens. At the time, the labyrinth was not only used as a fun playground, but also as a vehicle for philosophical thinking, inspiring people to think about the ultimate questions such as the source of life, fate, and the relationship between the earth and the universe.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the design and layout of the labyrinth became more and more elaborate and complex, and architects added walkways and decorative small rooms that brought optical illusions to the labyrinth, and even added pools and fountains, the complexity of which was sometimes difficult for even the architects themselves to decipher.
For centuries, the labyrinth has exuded captivating charm and inspired people to create them all the time. The shadow of the labyrinth can be found in novels, myths and legends, and even movies (such as the children's classic "Magic Labyrinth"). These mazes were designed by top architects to entertain and puzzle at the same time.
If you overlook the maze panorama, perhaps you can easily find the right route and get out of the maze. However, the charm of the labyrinth lies in being in it, feeling the psychological challenge and joy of the process of finding an exit after being lost. The labyrinth is not only a puzzle, but perhaps an interpretation of life. The labyrinth shows us that there are many paths to our ultimate goal, and failure is often the only way for us to succeed.
Let's take a look at the 10 most beautiful and creative mazes in the world.
The Hampton Court Maze (UK) The Hedge Maze of Hampton Court Palace is the oldest surviving labyrinth in the UK and the first in the world to set up many forks and dead ends to confuse visitors, designed and built by William III in the 17th century. The labyrinth was originally planted with large areas of thrush, which were later converted to yew tree forests. The labyrinth is trapezoidal and is known for its dead edges, corners and winding passages. It has been described in many novels and poems. It can be said that from the time of William III, the Hampton Court Labyrinth has fascinated thousands of fans. Interestingly, in recent years, a new device has been installed in the maze that can automatically emit thousands of different sounds, making the experience of visitors crossing the maze even more interesting.
Ashcombe Maze (Australia)
This is Australia's oldest and most famous labyrinth, consisting of three parts: the traditional hedge maze, the lavender maze and the rose maze. The "wall" of the maze is about 3 meters high and about 2 meters wide. The designers used more than 1200 bushes to form curved channels hundreds of meters long. Interestingly, visitors must find the four mosaic flags hidden deep in the hedge maze to successfully cross the maze. From November to June, the Rose Maze is the most worthwhile place to visit, as it is the flowering period and the more than 200 varieties of roses and more than 1,200 rose trees planted in the maze can definitely make visitors lose their way by being enchanted.
Labyrinth of Carthusian Church (France)
This is the most famous paved labyrinth in the world, built in the 1720s. The labyrinth is circular, about 12.9 meters in diameter, and occupies the entire main hall of the church. The maze has 11 circular passages, each separated by small voids. Although it is now impossible to know the original purpose of the labyrinth, researchers speculate that it may have been a venue designed for the annual Easter dance or a symbol of the long and arduous pilgrimage to church. Its unique central rose motif and 112 moon-shaped motifs scattered around it are already extremely valuable medieval relics.
Davis Maze of Mecca (USA)
Located in Massachusetts, USA, this labyrinth is a giant wheat field maze by Adrian Fisher, a top creative designer, and attracts thousands of visitors every year. The theme for 2001 was Dinosaurs, while the themes for 2004 and 2011 were Wild West and Breckbild's Revenge, respectively. Compared to other field labyrinths, the Davis Mecca Labyrinth not only has more bridges, but also has double-decker bridges that are not found elsewhere. It is also the only field maze in the world that can change every day, making every maze exploration a unique experience for visitors.
Reyniac Labyrinth (France)
The world's largest labyrinth of plants on the banks of the Andel River in France was created in 1996 and is filled with golden sunflowers. During the autumn harvest season, the farmers redesign the seeds to make the maze a big change. When the following spring arrives, a new pattern appears. When the labyrinth opened in 1996, more than 85,000 people tried to get out of the 4-hectare labyrinth.
Pineapple Garden Maze (USA)
Located in the Doole Pineapple Garden in Honolulu County, Oahu Island, Hawaii, USA, the Pineapple Garden Maze is made up of more than 11,400 Hawaiian plants, including the state flower hibiscus flower. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it was the largest labyrinth in the world before 2016.
Villa Pisani Garden Labyrinth (Italy)
Created in 1720 in Villa Pizar on the outskirts of Venice, this labyrinth was once hailed as the most complex labyrinth in the world. To this day, this labyrinth still attracts many tourists with the world's highest difficulty coefficient. The tall hedges form the nine concentric circular passages in the labyrinth, obscuring the rest except for the main passage. Climbing up two small spiral staircases leads one can reach the highest level of the labyrinth corner tower, where statues of Minerva, wisdom and other guardian goddesses are displayed. It is said that Napoleon got lost here in 1807.
Snake Ladder Labyrinth (UK)
Located at Gore Farm in the southeastern British town of Upchutch, the Snake Ladder Labyrinth was designed by Michael Blee, the 10th and most complex labyrinth designed by Michael Blee, and applied for the Guinness Book of World Records. It is the world's largest snake ladder maze, with an area of 6 acres and a hedge of at least 9 feet high, which makes the maze player extremely challenging.
Langlit Maze (Uk)
It's a beautiful and classic three-fenced maze whose design ideas were first proposed in 1975 by designer Greg Bright. Covering an area of 0.6 hectares, more than 16,000 beautiful English yew trees form a labyrinth passage of about 3,200 meters. The biggest difference from other traditional hedge mazes is that there are six wooden bridges built outside this maze. The three-dimensional space composed of wooden bridges can not only provide visitors with a maze that is out of reach, but also bring visitors a shocking visual effect. In the center of the labyrinth is an observation tower that takes visitors 20 minutes to reach at the earliest. In the nearby garden, there is also an additional Maze of The Arthurian Mirror for everyone to play, where visitors can also participate in the search for the Holy Grail.
Noah's Ark Animal Farm Labyrinth (UK)
It's a very special labyrinth. The maze is planted with hedges up to 3200 meters long and the "walls" are at least 3 meters high. As the name of the maze reveals, the designers planted hedges in the shape of an ark and seven animals. The Ark hedges are made of green beech, while the animal hedges are made of bronze beech. The branches and leaves pruned from the hedges are used to feed the camels and giraffes in the zoo. The labyrinth is entertaining and educational, and visitors can find the fastest way out of the maze by correctly answering a variety of biological questions.