Amsterdamse Bos

The Amsterdamse Bos (Dutch for "Amsterdam Forest") is a large urban forest and landscape park south-west of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It lies predominantly in the municipality of Amstelveen, with smaller parts in Amsterdam and, through the later Schinkelbos extension, Aalsmeer. The forest is owned and managed by the City of Amsterdam. The managing authority gives its area as approximately 1,000 ha (2,500 acres) and estimates that it receives around six million visits each year. Originally developed as the Boschplan ("Forest Plan"), the Amsterdamse Bos was designed by urban planners Cornelis van Eesteren and Jakoba Mulder as a large public landscape combining nature, recreation and sport. Construction began in 1934 and was closely connected with unemployment-relief programmes during the Great Depression. The design combines the naturalistic tradition of the English landscape garden with ideas from German Volksparks, in which active recreation was an integral part of public green space. Among its best-known features are the Bosbaan rowing course, the international field-hockey facilities around the Wagener Stadium, the Cherry Blossom Park, large areas of woodland and wetland, and a distinctive collection of bridges designed by Piet Kramer in the style of the Amsterdam School.