Vondelpark
Vondelpark is a wealth of greenery in the heart of Amsterdam. Picnicking and relaxing on the grass, jogging, yoga, walking with or without your dog, and cycling, almost anything is possible in Vondelpark. This green oasis in the middle of the bustling city is popular with both Amsterdammers and tourists. Vondelpark is centrally located, close to the Rijksmuseum and charming shops.
Gasworks instead of a Park
Where Vondelpark now stands, gasworks were planned. Christaan van Eeghen (1816-1889), then president of the Dutch Central Bank, put a stop to this. He and his associates raised 80,000 guilders for the construction of the first Dutch public park. In 1865, the gates of the ‘Rij- en Wandelpark’, the park’s provisional name at the time, opened to the public.
Vondelpark Monument in the park
The Vondel Monument is a tribute to the 17th-century Dutch poet and playwright Joost van den Vondel. The monument was unveiled in 1867. From then on the park was popularly called Vondelpark. This became the official name in 1880. Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679), ran a silk and hosiery shop on Warmoesstraat in Amsterdam.
The statue depicts Joost van den Vondel, wearing a laurel wreath, and sitting on a stool with his left foot on a footstool. In his right hand, he holds a quill, and an open book of poetry is resting on his knee. Another book titled “Virgil” rests against the stool. The pedestal was designed by P.J.H. Cuypers. The four figures are the guardian angels of poetry: Tragedy, Hexagonal Poetry, Didactic Poetry, and Sacred Poetry.
Vondelpark for the Wealthy
Originally, Vondelpark was a chic park. The elegant entrances with magnificent fencing on the Oud-zuid side show that the park used to be very stylish. In the old days, park rangers kept drunks and vagrants out. Butchers and bakers with cargo bikes were also kept out.
Hippies and Changing Times
In the 1960s, Vondelpark transformed from chic to swinging and hip. In 1971, the city of Amsterdam introduced the Vondel Project: ‘Amsterdam, hospitable and tolerant’. As a result, almost half the world came to Amsterdam to sleep on Dam Square in sleeping bags.
When Dam Square and the National Monument were declared off limits for ‘sleeping bags’, the hippies moved to Vondelpark. KLM cleverly capitalized on this with the slogan: Fly KLM and Sleep in Vondelpark.
The downside was increasing crime and drug trafficking. In 1975, the municipality placed signs at the entrances reading: No Sleeping.
Vondelpark Today
Vondelpark is still popular: no more sleeping hippies, but a park where walkers, cyclists, horseback riders, and everyone is welcome, where dogs are allowed to run free and where small-scale musical performances are given, and where, on a sunny day, Amsterdammers and tourists lie or sit on the grass enjoying the sun and a picnic.
Things to do in Vondelpark
Picnicking, sports, walking the dog, getting married, having a beer on the terrace of the Blauwe Theehuis (or a cup of tea), cycling, skating, observing green parakeets and other birds, feeding ducks, visiting the film museum, smelling roses in the Rosarium, or attending an open-air performance in the open-air theater.
