Hedge maze

A hedge maze is an outdoor garden maze or labyrinth in which the "walls" or dividers between passages are made of vertical hedges.

Hedge mazes evolved from the knot gardens of RenaissanceEurope, and were first constructed during the mid-16th century.^[1] These early mazes were very low, initially planted with evergreen herbs, but, over time, dwarf box became a more popular option due to its robustness. Italian architects had been sketching conceptual garden labyrinths as early as 1460, and hundreds of mazes were constructed in Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries.^[2]

Initially, the hedge maze was not intended to confuse, but to provide a unicursal walking path. Puzzle-like hedge mazes featuring dead ends and tall hedges arrived in England during the reign of King William III of England. They were now part of the bosquet or wilderness part of the garden, and extended area of highly artificial formal woodland, with groups of trees enclosed by hedges. It was possible to get lost in the much-admired labyrinth of Versailles, built for Louis XIV of France in 1677 and destroyed in 1778. This maze was adorned with thirty-nine hydraulic sculpture groups depicting Aesop's fables. The oldest surviving puzzle hedge maze, at Hampton Court Palace in Surrey, England, was built for King William in the late 17th century. Its distinctive trapezoidal shape is due to pre-existing paths running alongside the maze.

In modern times, hedge mazes have increased in complexity. A hedge maze at Longleat House in Wiltshire, England, designed in 1978, features a three-dimensional maze that uses bridges and a grid-less layout to confuse visitors.

• 
  The layout of Hampton Court Maze, a typical hedge maze, UK
• 
  Inside Hampton Court hedge maze, UK
• 
  Chatworth Maze, UK
• 
  Blenheim Palace, UK
• 
  Hungarian National Theater
• 
  Parque São Roque da Lameira, Portugal
• 
  VanDusen Botanical Garden, Canada
• 
  El laberinto de Longleat es tridimensional, Reino Unido
• 
  Jardín Botánico de San Luis, EE. UU.
• 
  Un laberinto en la ciudad de Jeju , Corea.
• 
  Un laberinto a la altura de la cintura en una "mansión" de estilo europeo en Taiwán.
• 
  Una maza en el parque de atracciones Nokkakivi en Laukaa , Finlandia

• Blackpool Pleasure Beach , en Inglaterra, tiene un laberinto, aunque solo una parte está construida con setos.
• Blackgang Chine , Isla de Wight , Inglaterra.
• Palacio de Blenheim , Inglaterra
• Laberinto de la Paz de Castlewellan, Parque Forestal de Castlewellan , Irlanda del Norte.
• Chatsworth House , Inglaterra
• Disneyland París cuenta con un laberinto de setos en el Laberinto Curioso de Alicia , una zona temática inspirada en Alicia en el País de las Maravillas .
• Obludista , República Checa
• Castillo de Egeskov , Dinamarca
• El laberinto del jardín en las cavernas de Luray , Luray, Virginia, EE. UU.
• El laberinto del Palacio del Gobernador en Colonial Williamsburg , Williamsburg, Virginia, EE. UU.
• Laberinto de Hampton Court , Inglaterra
• Laberinto conmemorativo Kaeser, Jardín Botánico de Missouri , San Luis, Missouri, EE. UU.
• Laberint d'Horta , Barcelona, ​​Cataluña, España
• Castillo de Leeds , Inglaterra
• Longleat , Inglaterra
• Jardines de Bridge End , Saffron Walden, Essex, Inglaterra
• Palacio de Schönbrunn , Austria
• Casa Traquair , Peeblesshire, Escocia
• Villa Vizcaya , Miami, Florida, EE. UU.
• Laberinto de setos de Botanical World Adventures , Hakalau, Hawái, EE. UU.
• Laberinto de Villapresente , Villapresente, Cantabria , España

Los laberintos de setos se utilizan a menudo como escenarios o elementos argumentales en obras de ficción. Algunos ejemplos notables:

• Laberinto de maíz
• laberinto de paja
• Laberinto de césped

• MacQueen, Gailand (2005). La espiritualidad de los laberintos . Wood Lake Publishing Inc. ISBN 1896836690. Consultado el 8 de octubre de 2012 .

• Contenido multimedia relacionado con laberintos de setos en Wikimedia Commons.