Amsterdamse Bos

The Amsterdamse Bos was begun in 1934 as a public works project during the Depression: around twenty thousand unemployed men dug it out and planted it by hand, deliberately without machinery so that the labour absorbed as many people as possible, on polder ground three metres below sea level. It covers about a thousand hectares, roughly three times Central Park, and it was designed as a landscape - open meadows, woodland blocks, a two-kilometre rowing lake with a straight course, canals, hills built from spoil. The rowing course, the Bosbaan, still hosts international regattas. There is a goat farm, an open-air theatre, a herd of Highland cattle in a fenced section, and a network of cycle and bridle paths. Schiphol's runways are directly beside it, so aircraft pass low over the western edge constantly, which visitors either enjoy or do not.

History

The idea of a large green area south of Amsterdam goes back to around 1900. The Boschplan, designed by Cornelis van Eesteren and Jakoba Mulder, was begun on 30 April 1934 with the digging of the Bosbaan rowing course, and between 1934 and 1940 about 20,000 unemployed men worked on it, moving much of the earth by hand with shovels and wheelbarrows (Wikipedia, Amsterdamse Bos).

What's there

• A thousand hectares dug by hand - built as Depression relief work from 1934.
• The Bosbaan - a two-kilometre straight rowing course still used for regattas.
• Built topography - hills raised from spoil on ground below sea level.
• Schiphol overhead - aircraft passing low over the western edge.

When to go

April to October. A day.

Before you go

Aircraft noise on the western side is constant and loud. The park is large and flat - a bicycle makes far more sense than walking. Busy on warm weekends. Nothing here is wild; every tree was planted.

Nearby

Amstelveen is on the southern edge; Amsterdam is a short ride north.

Key facts