9 most unusual hedge mazes in the world that you need to walk through at least once in your life

One of the most memorable scenes of the movie "Three in a boat, not counting the dog" is the scene in which the main characters fall into a maze. In our review we will talk about the most unusual and beautiful hedge mazes around the world.

Consisting of more than 16,000 English yews, the hedge maze in Longleat is one of the longest in the world. The length of its corridors is about 2.7 kilometers, and the total area of the labyrinth is 0.6 hectares. Since the 16th century, this territory belonged to the Marquesses of Bath, who in 1975 allocated part of the territory of their estate for a huge hedge maze. Later, the first safari park outside Africa and three smaller maze gardens were built on the estate.

The largest maze in the world is the "Masone", which was built in the Italian city, famous for its Parmesan cheese. Curiously, the maze was created as a result of a dispute between the Italian publisher Franco Maria Ricci and the writer Jorge Luis Borges. When Ricci said he wanted to build the world's largest maze, Borges replied that it was impossible.

The star-shaped maze, which opened in May 2015, was built using 200,000 bamboo plants, and its territory is as much as 8 hectares. Seventy-year-old Ricci used fast-growing bamboo instead of traditional trees and shrubs to see a ready-made maze before his death.

Located along the Tisza River near the Hungarian-Slovak border, the hedge maze of boxwood and yew in Andrassy Castle, according to the architect's idea, was supposed to resemble a huge squid from above. The castle itself was built in the 19th century for Count Andrassy.

This permanent hedge maze, which was the largest in the world before the Masone was built, is located on the Hawaiian pineapple plantation Dole. It consists of 14,000 pineapple bushes, which are fragrant throughout the four-kilometer path through the maze.

It is often said that, despite its small size, the labyrinth on the territory of Villa Pisani is the most difficult in the world. Guides like to tell that in 1807, walking along the winding paths of the maze, Napoleon got lost in it. Whether it's a bike or not is unknown, but the labyrinth, built in 1720 by a rich doge near his villa, is one of the most beautiful in the world.

A so-called corn maze is created every year on a corn field with an area of 13 hectares. Moreover, its design changes every year — for example, in 2013 the maze looked like a portrait of the Beatles from above, in 2014 it looked like the US flag, and in 2015 the design of the maze is dedicated to the victory of the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL.

The 1 hectare Maze of Peace was planted in 2000 to celebrate the signing of the Good Friday Agreement (agreement on the settlement of the political conflict in Northern Ireland). It consists of two parts, and to complete the maze completely, you need to cross both. There is a tradition: the one who has reached the center of the maze rings the "Peace Bell" located there.

More than a thousand Monterey cypresses were used to build one of the oldest plant labyrinths in the Southern Hemisphere. Since the 1970s, cypresses have been carefully trimmed twice a year, with each haircut session lasting a whole month. Visitors need to go through two halves of the maze, each of which has its own unique design. And next to the cypress maze is another maze, which was created from more than 4,000 lavender bushes.

Commissioned by King William III in 1700, the oldest hedge maze in the UK was built near Hampton Court Palace. Initially it was made of hornbeam, but then the trees were replaced with holly and yew. The Hampton Court Maze is known as one of the most difficult in the world.