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Monday, April 12, 2010
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.
11 comments:
Oh how I love secret gardens! It has such an interesting history. Be sure to go back :)
I am sooo glad that you have focussed on the forgotten garden. It is wonderful that neighbours can band together like this and achieve something for the good of the community and for the good of the planet. I do like the photographs you have posted and your text is a delight to read. I would love it if you were able to go back later in the early summer and show us what it looks like when everything is green and flowering.
Good stuff.
It looks great. I love hidden little secrets like this :)
Kimmie- What a find! I would LOVE to go there myself- take me take me!! I love the entrance way and can't wait to see it when it turns green. You know- we should go on a photo safari sometime :)
*hugs*
Love the photo down the hallway!! Definitely makes you want to walk through to see what's in there :)
Oh wow thats really neat! I agree with Julie..I hope you go back as things start to really come alive there!
how neat! I can't imagine my community coming together to do anything. They won't even pick trash up out of their own yards.
What a wonderful community space, I particularly like the wall of building debris, it's such an imaginative use of the materials. You must go back in summer and show us how it looks all green and growing!
interesting...i'm sure it would look really pretty with greenery. i've seen places like this in nyc too.
What a treasure! It looks like a fantastic place.
I love discovering hidden areas like this. It looks great and I admire how animal friendly it has been made. I hang up elder stalks for solitary bees and wasps on my balcony and last year I got to see three different species - imagine how many species you can find in this garden :)
The similarities between Dutch and German always make me smile. vijvers is similar to a slightly outdated German word for pond: Weiher. When I take my time, I can usually understand texts written in Dutch :)
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