Since 2008, a group of enthusiastic locals has been picking up hoes and measuring tools each year to create one of the region's biggest attractions.
Children wander through a maize field, in Hungary, near the Romanian border, yet their parents remain calm. These adventurous youngsters aren’t lost – they’re exploring Central Europe’s largest maize maze.
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This year, organisers have carved storybook characters, a castle and a unicorn shape into the 4.5-hectare maize field at Kiszombor.
The design was created by Dávid Nagy on his computer in a spreadsheet, and the maize plants were cut back while they only reached knee height. That made it easier to see the whole layout, and drones helped with the final tweaks.
Children get a map to help them find their way, but it’s still no easy task. The 2.5-kilometre-long maze is full of dead ends, and it’s easy to get lost.
The maze was first created 18 years ago in nearby Kukutyin by volunteers from the Kiss Mária Hortensia Local History Circle, in a bid to lure visitors back to the depopulating area. Since then, two to three thousand people a year have been coming here to try traditional skill games and lose themselves in the maize field.
According to the head of the local history circle and of the project, Erzsébet Endrész, the main aim throughout has been to put Kiszombor on the map for Hungarians and other Europeans who enjoy puzzles. After all, it’s essentially a giant escape room.
The maize maze is open to visitors until 22 August.