Vondelpark, Amsterdam

Vondelpark is a public urban park covering 47 hectares in Amsterdam. It opened in 1865, originally under another name, and later took its present name from Joost van den Vondel, the seventeenth-century playwright and poet. The park was created through a citizens’ initiative, with its design entrusted to Jan David Zocher; Louis Paul Zocher later completed the work.

Their landscape creates the impression of moving through nature, even within the city. The park now draws around 10 million visits each year and contains an open-air theatre, playgrounds and places to eat. Its history also includes an unexpected struggle over cycling: during the nineteenth century, management imposed restrictions, including special paths, limited hours and fines.

Cycling was eventually allowed to continue normally after mediation by the national cyclists’ union. Look for the Joost van den Vondel statue, made by Louis Royer and placed here in 1867 on a pedestal designed by Pierre Cuypers. That monument helped give the park its familiar name. The park also contains works by Pablo Picasso and Nelson Carrilho, and its summer theatre presents music, dance, theatre and cabaret.