Wantijpark

This real city park was designed and laid out in 1937 by the garden architect D.F. Tersteeg, as part of the work relief scheme. The monumental fence at the main entrance was designed by the Dordrecht glazier Wim Korteweg. Before this, the grounds consisted of osiers, swamps and willows. It also served as an exercise ground for the military, who held shooting drills here. The remains of the exercise wall can still be seen. During the flood disaster of 1953, the park was flooded as a result of a breach in the dike. But both the park and the ponds have been restored in an exemplary manner. There are beautiful old trees and the natural variety is enormous. There are beautiful bald cypresses, large-leaved poplars and the amber tree with its particularly beautiful autumnal colouring. There are also memorial trees, including a columnar oak and a marsh oak, planted in memory of IVN nature guide Ton Olthof, who knew this park like the back of his hand. Because of its great wealth of birds, the park is a regular feature of the bird-watching course programme. In 2011, the Wantijpark was redesigned. It has become more beautiful and safer. A number of trees were cut down to give the undergrowth more space. The visual axis from Tersteeg's design has also been restored, which provides a nice view of the animal pasture.