Peace Maze at Castlewellan Forest Park, Hedge maze in Castlewellan Forest Park, Northern Ireland.
The Peace Maze spans 2.7 acres with paths extending over 3,147 meters through walls of carefully maintained yew trees reaching 1.5 meters in height.
Created in 2000 following the Northern Ireland peace process, the maze incorporated designs from 4,000 local school children and 6,000 yew trees planted by community members.
The maze structure contains two distinct sections that visitors must navigate to reach the central peace bell, reflecting the path toward reconciliation in Northern Ireland.
Visitors typically spend 40 minutes solving the maze, with entrance fees starting at £5 for cars and operating hours from 9 AM until 8 PM during summer months.
This maze maintained the record as the largest permanent hedge maze in the world from its creation in 2000 until 2007.
Location: Castlewellan
GPS coordinates: 54.25846,-5.95331
Latest update: March 13, 2025 09:12
Labyrinths have been part of human architecture for thousands of years, serving religious, meditative, and decorative purposes. Chartres Cathedral preserves one of the most famous medieval floor mosaics in Europe, guiding pilgrims along a 13-meter-wide path made of blue and white stones. English castles like Hampton Court developed hedge mazes from the 16th century onward as part of their formal gardens, while Italian Renaissance villas integrated geometric stone patterns into their terraces. The collection also includes underground structures such as the Paris Catacombs, whose winding passages were originally quarries, or the Roman cisterns of Istanbul with their rows of columns. Each era and region developed its own techniques: medieval stonework in cathedrals, baroque garden architecture with trimmed hedges, or pre-Columbian temple complexes with ritual pathways. These sites document various construction methods, from laying colored stone mosaics to creating multi-level garden courses to constructing underground vaults. They offer insights into historical craftsmanship and the symbolic meaning of the labyrinth across different cultures.
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