De Vergeten Tuin

A few weeks ago the part of Eindhoven we live in had a bit of an “open house” that showcased some of the unique businesses and places in the area.  It was a neat thing to be able to go and explore some new places that we might not have otherwise seen. One of my new finds was a neat garden called De Vergeten Tuin which translates quite literally as “the forgotten garden.”  De Vergeten Tuin is a small bit of nature in an urban setting.  It’s smack dab in the heart of the city and I cycle past the area on a very regular basis, but I had NO idea that it was there!  I had Google make you this lovely little map so you can see!  If you look to the north and slightly to the east of the A you can see the railway station which is pretty close to the center point of Eindhoven.  The A indicates the garden.

For most of the 20th century the garden was an empty “green” space surrounded by homes.  Between 1959 and 1978 a factory that manufactured machine components took the space.  The factory was torn down and a field with a lot of debris and polluted ground was left behind.  Residents around the space started planting and maintaining the area.  In 2001 the city began plans to clean out the garden and there were rumblings that the surrounding houses would also be demolished.  The homeowners started an association to save the garden and the houses.  They visited many “urban gardens” throughout the country and drew up plans of what to do with the land.  In 2002 the demolitions were postponed and the plans for the garden were made a reality. The entrance for De Vergeten Tuin is between two houses on the Palingstraat.

You walk down a long hallway and then continue on the path into the garden.

There are three vijvers (ponds) in the garden. We went at the beginning of mating season so there were tons and tons of frogs all over!

When the ponds were being dug, a lot of building debris came out of the ground. Instead of throwing it away they built a wall.

The crevices and holes serve as overwintering shelter for the small animals like mice, toads and salamanders that live in the garden.

In addition to being a shelter, the wall is also a growing place for various types of moss and a wall plant that has snapdragon-esque flowers.

They made these bee houses for solitary bees and hung them in a sunny place of the garden.

I love this twisty gnarly tree.

I hope to go back when things green up a little bit more. It's a really lovely place! I love the detail that they put into everything there. Everything is done quite deliberately and for a purpose to keep the wildlife and plants in the best shape possible.

They're open on the first Sunday of the month from noon until 4 pm.

*****

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