Vondelpark, Amsterdam

From GlobalMotion

The Vondelpark is a park in Amsterdam, the Netherlands named after the seventeenth-century writer, Joost van den Vondel.

Designed by garden architect Jan David Zocher, the park was created in 1864. In 1865 it was opened to the public. Originally named the New Park, the public quickly started calling the park Vondelpark after a statue of the writer was placed, and eventually the name was adopted officially. Until 1953, the park was owned by the Vereniging tot aanleg van een rij- en wandelpark (Society for creating a park for riding and strolling). When they could no longer afford to maintain the park, they donated it to the city of Amsterdam.