News
Students design a maze at Ammersee
A team from the Department of Geoinformatics transforms a field into a work of art – this year, the Colosseum
27/07/2026
Every year, a special maze is created between Schondorf and Utting on Lake Ammersee; it is renowned throughout the region and beyond for its unique designs and meticulous execution. For the 25th time, students on the bachelor's degree programme in ‘Applied Geodesy and Geoinformatics’ at the Department of Geoinformatics have played a key role in its creation. Under the supervision of HM Professor Jens Czaja and Laboratory Engineer Manfred Wurzer, the students’ task this year was to transfer the outline of the Colosseum onto the field.
Precise surveying using GNSS technology.
In order to stake out the site, it was first georeferenced; in other words, each pixel in the image was assigned a set of coordinates so that it could subsequently be transferred to the field. A specialised GNSS technique was then used – a combination of several global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GALILEO, BEIDOU, GLONASS). This enables real-time accuracy of less than three centimetres to be achieved. The team checked the result using a drone.
Collaboration with operators on Lake Ammersee
The project is being carried out in close collaboration with the Ernst family, who run the ‘Ex Ornamentis’ maze. For 25 years, the Laboratory for Geodetic Surveying at HM has been supporting the family in creating the mazes. The designs provided by the Ernst family often relate to current topics or anniversaries. This year, the Colosseum design fitted perfectly with the department’s long-standing collaboration with the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments on the surveying of Roman archaeological sites.
The maze is open daily until 29 September 2026.
Constance Schölch