Nobody Got Lost. Hopefully.

ČSH

Loučeň Chateau near Nymburk was truly buzzing on Saturday. Nearly 160 participants came to enjoy not only the atmosphere of the chateau grounds, knights' tales, the Kašpárek and witch puppet show, or broomstick flying lessons performed by witches Gertrůda and Ethel, but mainly to meet friends once again after a year and commemorate World Hemophilia Day. Thank goodness the meteorologists were wrong this time — despite a slight cooling, we spent most of the day in the adjacent chateau park.

The dominant feature of the grounds is a romantic Baroque chateau with an adjacent orangery and terrace, which offers a splendid view of the Elbe lowlands. However, access to the chateau's interior — maintained in a condition where one could move in immediately — was limited to guided tours and refreshments. In the grand hall, there was even a table still set, as if the princely family of Thurn-Taxis was just about to sit down for lunch.

But what makes Loučeň so exceptional and distinguishes it from other Czech chateaux is the complex of eleven garden labyrinths and mazes built within the greenery of the historic English park. The unique labyrinth complex has no parallel in European or world terms, and both children and adults delighted in getting lost in it.

On Saturday, the seventh most-visited chateau in the Czech Republic last year proved to be a success. It seems that nobody got lost in the park — everyone happily reunited and returned home. At least the chateau management has not reported finding anyone there on Sunday morning during clean-up. You can relive everything through the photographs in the gallery.