The Drolshagen Labyrinth

Centering around Drolshagen:
GreenArt Builds a Labyrinth - Symbol of the Path to the Center

First things first: The labyrinth is now in a state such that it can safely be entered. In fact, we already did a test walk - and, lo and behold, the path actually leads to the desired destination. Had there been the slightest lapse of concentration during the construction phase, visitors could have found themselves caught in an endless loop, never making it to the center...

We are also relieved to say that none of our landscaping staff has gone missing in action!

If you wish to experience the labyrinth yourself, you will find it on a meadow outside of Drolshagen-Stupperhof (exit Drolshagen toward Benolpe and take an immediate right).

During the construction phase, we have already been exposed to a plethora of difficult questions, which we are happy to answer on this page.

What Is a Labyrinth?
A labyrinth is an elaborate structure with an entrance to a path that leads to the center via as many detours as possible - and back the same way.

Symbolism of the Labyrinth
Following a path with the highest possible amount of detours to arrive at an undefined goal would not in itself be an attractive undertaking if it didn't remind us of so many other things in life:

Take, for example, the walk of life itself. Or the search for one's own self: Who am I? What are my values? What are my goals?

In a very Christian sense, the labyrinth reminds us of repentance, the willingness to "change one's ways" in the quest for true faith.

What the labyrinth wants to show us is that those who courageously follow their paths will eventually reach their goals. And those who return will have gained a new experience.

Ultimately, all visitors can choose for themselves what exactly they wish to find in the Drolshagen Labyrinth: a place of meditation - or simply a different kind of "walk in the park."

   

Origins of the Labyrinth
The labyrinth as a symbol can be found in various cultures for thousands of years. Its origins have been the subject of a myriad of tales. We will stick to the most exciting version, lest we bore our readers:

Once upon a time in ancient Greece... King Minos of Crete was challenged as king and sought help from the sea god Poseidon, who sent a giant white bull for use as a sacrifice. But Minos decided to keep the bull for himself. In rage, Poseidon made Minos' wife Pasiphaë lust for the bull. Hiding inside a wooden cow, she was mated and impregnated by the bull, giving birth to a horrible monster, the Minotaur (half man, half bull).

King Minos did not dare to kill this beast for fear of causing more disaster. So he ordered the architect Daedalus to build a complicated maze, called the Labyrinth, to keep the Minotaur from escaping to freedom.

Minos then demanded from the Athenians, which he had just defeated in war, that they regularly send seven youths and seven maidens into the labyrinth to be devoured by the Minotaur.

When the third sacrifice came round, the Athenian king's son Theseus volunteered to go and slay the monster. Since Minos' daughter Ariadne had a crush on Theseus, she gave him a magic sword and a ball of thread - the famed "Ariadne's thread" - allowing him to retrace his path. Theseus killed the Minotaur, escaped from the labyrinth, and took off with Ariadne (only to leave her on a deserted island a while later). Daedalus, by the way, went on to live in Sicily for many years, inventing lots of new things for the island's king. Nonetheless, the labyrinth certainly remains his most famous invention.

What Does the Drolshagen Labyrinth Look Like?
It is a "hedge labyrinth" consisting of gravel paths with natural stone borders separated by beech hedges.

In its entirety, the path extends over 380 yards on a circle-shaped base area of only 30 yards in diameter. The center must be circled seven times before it is reached.

The structure of the Drolshagen Labyrinth resembles the Christian-style labyrinths found in the mosaic floors of some Gothic cathedrals. Among the peculiarities of this type is that the path turns at 180-degree angles around the edges of a cross.

Labyrinths have traditionally been built to face west. We have chosen to place the entrance/exit to the east - the direction of sunrise, which stands for a new beginning. Remarkably also, you will head straight toward the Drolshagen church upon exiting the labyrinth (although, if you keep heading that way, you might first get caught in the town's street maze...).

Who Built the Labyrinth - and Why?
The Labyrinth project was implemented by the local conservation society (Heimatverein Drolshagen) in cooperation with Drolshagen Marketing and the Municipality of Drolshagen.

GreenArt was charged with detailed planning and construction.

There are a host of good reasons for building this labyrinth:

The people of Drolshagen now have a labyrinth virtually at their doorsteps, while all others have yet another reason to pay Drolshagen a visit!