Het Amsterdamse Bos (The Amsterdam Forest)

First conceived in the early 1900’s by Dutch botanist, Jac. P. Thijsse, the Amsterdamse Bos to imagined to provide much needed natural space for the citizens of Amsterdam. Although anything as massive as the Amsterdam Forest cannot ever be considered finished, from inception until the last planting in 1970, the forest was seven decades in the making. Begun in earnest and considered a viable means to provide employment during the world-wide economic depression, the project later labeled The Amsterdam Forest was advertised as “Five Years of Work for 1000 Men.” Not at all unlike American relief efforts such as the CCC, the forest is an enduring legacy similar to such American projects as the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Natchez Trace. The Amsterdam Forest endures as tribute to the more than 20,000 men and women who worked from 1934-1940 as well as the estimated 50,000 people who contributed throughout the forest’s development.

circa 1930's

Urban developers Cornelis van Eesteren and Jakoba Mulder (nicknamed “Lady of the Forest”) are credited with looking abroad for inspiration regarding the forest’s design. Uninterrupted sight lines make the forest appear much larger than it is. Of essentially “English design” the forest features naturalistic forms such as winding waterways, curved forest tree lines, rolling meadows and groves of trees.

One such grove, the Japanse Bloesempark, consists of 400 cherry blossom trees planted by the Japanese Women’s Club as a memorial to the victims of the 2000 tsunami in Japan. Although enjoyed each year by thousands of wide-eyed visitors, the grove is the site for picnics by expat Japanese families to celebrate an annual hanami, cherry blossom viewing party.

Japan, 2000

Conversely, the forest has not always been a haven of serenity. During the years of German occupation during WWII, the forest was used for the anti-aircraft guns, placed to protect Schiphol Airport from Allied bombers. Two different portions of the forest were used as staging areas for Jews and non-Jews awaiting deportation. In addition to supplying wood, land was cleared in favor of such crops as barley and rye.

Nowadays the Amsterdam Forest has a different story to tell. Covering approximately four square miles, the forest is three times the size of Central Park in New York City. Replete with gorgeous waterways including a large lake, the forest contains 116 bridges, over 124 miles of cycling, hiking, and riding trails and 200,000 trees. Visited by an estimated six million people annually, the forest contains two children’s pools, a climbing park, a goat farm, canoe & bike rentals, a summer theater, a riding school, a ferry, a spa, a camp grounds, and several restaurants.

Cherry blossoms in the Amsterdamse Bos