Loucen Chateau

Loucen is a baroque chateau of the 1710s that belonged to the Thurn und Taxis family, the house that ran the imperial postal system, and it stayed with them until 1945. Bedrich Smetana was a frequent guest and gave concerts here. The chateau interiors are shown furnished as the family left them, with a Christmas display that runs for months and draws large numbers. But the reason most people come is the park: since 2007 the owners have laid out eleven mazes and labyrinths across the grounds - hornbeam hedges, a low box labyrinth, a stone maze, a wicker one, a mirror maze, a rope structure and others of varying difficulty - which is the largest such collection in the country and is aimed squarely at families. There is a resident colony of peacocks and a small train through the park.

What you actually see

• Eleven mazes and labyrinths - hedge, stone, wicker, rope and mirror, across the park.
• Furnished chateau interiors - as the Thurn und Taxis family left them in 1945.
• Smetana's connection - the composer a frequent guest and performer here.
• Peacocks and a park train - free-ranging birds and a family circuit.

When to go

April to October; the Christmas display from late autumn. A day.

Honest expectations

Chateau and park are separate tickets. It is family-oriented and busy at weekends and in holidays. The mazes are outdoor and unusable in heavy rain. The Christmas season books up.

Nearby

Nymburk is east; Podebrady is south-east.