Autumn is the perfect time to go outside and enjoy the beautiful nature.
Merwestein city park
It is the season to look for chestnuts, acorns and mushrooms. Of kicking up leaves in the forest and stamping on puddles. As a result of stricter coronary rules, we spend even more time at home and it is all the nicer to recharge our batteries in the fresh open air. So go outside and enjoy the exuberant scents and colours of autumn!
In Dordrecht, we have more than twenty parks, nature reserves and country estates. Plenty of places where you can experience nature. Park Merwestein is located near the city centre. Here are some facts, facts and beautiful images of this pleasant city park.
Facts & Figures
Did you know that Park Merwestein is the oldest park in Dordrecht? The park originated from an old estate called Merwestein. It was bought by a Dordrecht committee that turned it into a public city park. In 1884, the municipality of Dordrecht became the owner of the estate. Various mayors have lived in the villa on the estate.
During the Second World War, the German Wehrmacht occupied the villa. During a bombardment, a large part of Park Merwestein was lost, including the villa with coach house and many trees. On the spot where the villa used to stand stands the memorial tree of life. Hans Petri made this work of art as a reminder of people's strength to overcome the memories of war. In the north of the park there is a meandering path of wood chips along trees and bushes. Otto van der Linden laid out a natural garden at this spot in 1885, next to his villa. This rough green strip is called the Staring Forest and is now freely accessible.
What is there to do?
There is a finely constructed footpath so that you can walk around and enjoy the park. Everywhere there are benches to relax. You can bring your dog along on a leash (free dog waste bags are available at the entrances). There is a nice playground with a climbing tower, swings, slide, seesaw and sandpit. But there are also plenty of places to discover nature, climb on branches and watch animals. In the animal pasture, there is a group of fallow deer that are fed by the municipality's employees. You are not allowed to feed them yourself as this could make them ill.
Furthermore, in the park you can see various species of ducks, swans and geese that you are allowed to feed. And there is an aviary with zebra finches. Because Park Merwestein is so old, there are also many old trees. The Park Merwestein Foundation has set out a tree route using numbers on tiles. This allows you to see the species and age of each tree. The route is available from the Merwestein Park Foundation, at the VVV Dordrecht tourist office and on the website.
