The Darwinpark
emerged from the city extension around 1970.. It forms the
link between the city and the countryside and has important
ecological functions. Until recently the
Darwinpark was not easily accessible
because only bike and stroll paths from east to west existed
in this elongated park. It was no more than a passage park;
the Zaanstad municipality decided to take action.
First they constructed a North-South path;
a for strolling over the entire length
of the park. Subsequently, in
the southern half of the park,
alongside this North-South path,
four theme gardens: a
forest garden, a swamp garden, a grass garden and a water
garden are highlighted with matching pieces of arts. Every
theme garden has its own atmosphere and character.
They are self-supporting biological
units, where plants and animals forms an entity. Also,
the gardens has a
clear ecological relation; They stay in
perfect balance because of their placement.
photo google
earth
Set seen from the Space
What is to do in
the Darwinpark
The animal
ranch for
children
in the Darwinpark,
Zaandam
In 1967 Albert Heijn built
the largest children's ranch in Holland for the youth of
Zaandam. Young and old explore the wide variety of animals
including small pet animals as well as the larger
agricultural domesticated animals.
On the ranch
is a nice children-playground. You can treat the children
and yourself to an ice cream, relish, drinks etc. Of course
real ranch-products are available for purchase; eggs, wool,
honey, hay, straw and sometimes animals themselves. During a
walkabout on the ranch territory you will see bee hives
and an ecological museum, all of which are
very educational for children.
The Children's ranch at Darwin is an important recreational
and learning service that yearly is visited by approximately
75,000 people. Also frequently the ranch is visited by
school leagues. For more information see the year schedule
of the biological lesson center.
The children's ranch lies in
the southern section of the Darwinpark, near the residential
district Poelenburg, in Zaandam-Southeast. It is located
near the main entrance on "De Weer" where you can park your
bike or your car. Via public transport it is accessible (from
station Zaandam) by bus 65, station Smitsven, see also
www.kaart.nl
E.
Heimans Nature museum
The E. Heimans
nature museum has mainly an educational purpose. Children
will understand in this museum what nature means to them. So
there is a setup of a "Peatland" scenery, a grounds, a hut
and a chamber. A scenery of set up animals is used to show
the public how life in both the house and the district is
related to nature. A lot of school leagues visits this
museum. Society Nature and Environmental Education
Zaanstreek manages a number of recreational and educational
welfare facilities in Zaanstad, including the E. Heimans
Nature Museum, the petting farm in the Darwinpark, the
botanical threaded school gardens and a biological
educational center.
Opening times museum:
Wednesday's and Sunday's: 13.00-17.00 uur
More open during schoolholiday's,
but closed during summer-holiday
Entrnce fee: 2,50 p.p.
Groups (from 15 p.): 2,- p.p.
Adress: Thijssestraat 1, 1504 LB Zaandam
Telephone: 075-6312020
Fax: 075-6312468
Email:
info@nme-zaanstreek.nl
Website:
www.nme-zaanstreek.nl
School gardens zaandam
Since 2005 it has been located in the Darwinpark towards
the entrance of the Children's ranch in Zaandam. The School
gardens lie in the southern broad of the Darwinpark, near
the residential district Poelenburg, in Zaandam-Southeast.
Opening times for the school gardens: April to October:
Monday to Friday: 09.00-16.00 hours;
Wednesdays: 09.00-12.00 hours Free
entrance.
Address: De Weer 31 1504 AH
Zaandam Phone:
075-6312468
Fax: 075-6312468 Email:
info@nme-zaanstreek.nl
Website:
www.nme-zaanstreek.nl
,
History of the School gardens in
Zaandam
Labyrinth
in the amphitheatre
Installed in the amphitheater in the Darwinpark is a
labyrinth; nice to look at and wonderful to wxplore. With
your thoughts on zero, you flow from the outside inwards.
There is a saying that navigating a labyrinth improves a
better balance between the left - and the right part of the
brain!
Labyrinth walking is a form of meditation
that offers us the space to listen to ourselves. For many it
is an experience that explains much about ourselves. In a
maze, one must choose between different paths. A labyrinth
has only one path that leads to its center and again to the
outside. In a maze you miss the way, in a labyrinth you find
the way.
It exists in many cultures and is not dependent on
religions. In The French cathedral of Chartres lies a well
known labyrinth and also in Italy, England and Scandinavia
are found labyrinths. Outside Europe you can find Labyrinths
in, for example, Pakistan, Tibet, Russia and in North
American Indian reservations. A labyrinth is seen as a
symbol for life with all height - and depth points.
Pieces of
art
There are various pieces of arts in
the southern broad of the Darwin park
The Darwinpark is the 'green
lung' for the crowded Zaandam South-eastern part. The
original set-up of the park (From 1970) satisfied no more.
The park had little social function, it had not become a
place where people walk a while with pleasure, or meet each
other.
Four theme gardens on the east
side of it Darwin Park were constructed, densely set against
the living blocks of the district Poelenburg. Four
particular places in the park emerged, each with their own
atmosphere. Every garden is designed around a piece of art,
that specially was created for that place, and changes with
the season.
The
four pieces of art have been created by Kees Bierman,
a artist fascinated by the operation of time in a growing
nature. His work seems often to emerge from the surrounding
of nature, but simultaneously easily recognizable as people
work, an interval in the natural environment.
The pieces of art are made
of open construction concrete reinforced with iron. Nature
dictates the constructions. Every change in nature gives,
during the changing of the seasons a different picture.
Wood
garden
A dense parade of park
plants; a paradise for little birds, create probably the
best looks in autumn and winter. The access gate to this
beautiful wood garden is an 8 meters high construction in
the form of an arc. An impressive high gate (possibly a
symbol of human over-courage) leads into the garden. The
trees hold their leaves for a long time without nourishment
so the bows maintain till the spring a nice light brown
color.
Grass
Garden
In the
high meadow-like growth of the Grass Garden, the paths are
mowed perpendicular to each other. In between there is
enough place for the wild flowers which are beautiful in the
spring. The Grass Garden must be a lustful location for
butterflies and bumblebees. In the center of the lawns
stands on top of a slight incline a Megalithic tomb. This
construction of Kees Beerman is crowded with ivy stays, and
it stays green the whole year.
Swamp
garden
A notable sculpture forms the central pool enclosure in
the Swamp-Garden, where bullfrogs and pull salamanders live.
The pavilion is planted with wild grape-vines, a friendly
but stubborn vine which in the autumn sports beautiful
flamed colors. In Winter the grape-vine looses their leaves
and the Iron construction is again visible.
Water
garden
The most notable place in
the Darwinpark is the Water Garden located in the most
southern point of the park. Two islands are connected by a
long wooden jetty that goes under a 'water gate'. In this
water gate grows green conifers which offer for the whole
year long approximately the same view of this piece of art.
Accessible from Zaandam CS with: Bus 92 (Amsterdam CS) or 87
(Poelenburg South), station Twiskeweg/Thijssehof.
New art in the
Darwinpark
Three metal figurative sculptures called "Man-Woman" created
by the artist Theo Schepers are placed in the northern part
of the Darwinpark, opposite the Koopvaardijstraat.
In the northern part of
the Darwinpark, three stimulating art
works have been realized. The pictures
catch the eye by their striking design
and the particular body-expressions of
man and woman. The design came about by
means of scanned hand molding work in
combination with an animation program.
In the animation series the pictures
change their movements, emotion,
expression and style continuously. By
fixing these movements at several
moments, characters show different
styles and expression. The styles vary
from amorphously and minimum figurative
to a realistic and exact reproduction of
a 3D human body scan. The result is a
picture group of three pictures whose
elaboration, emotion and sexuality are
mutually related to each other. The
pictures are a translation of the inner
female and male side of an individual.
The female side you could call emotional,
communicative and variable.. The male
side is putting things into perspective,
being independent and guiding. In the
pictures it appears that the female is
able to express herself emotionally
freely, where the male side in a gentle
manner has the control. The merging of
female and male qualities stands for the
ever changing processes of emotions and
ideas where at the same time direction
and focus are stipulated. For the artist
Theo Schepens, the link of two inner
ideas produces the following, “female in
people that had too many aims becomes
productive whereas males with no aims
find one where he can lose some energy'.
The animation process of the picture
group can be seen as from beginning 2010
on. http://www.darwinpark.nl/
|
Artist: Theo Schepens
Tecnical realisation:
Theo Schepens
Titel: 'Man-Vrouw'
Location: Darwinpark Noord,
Koopvaardijstraat opposite nr. 90 in
Zaandam
Delivery: Oktober 2009
Format 290x120x60cm, 140x150x20cm, 53x39X14cm
Technical construction: stainless
steel
Sponsor: Gemeente Zaanstad
Keep
The
Darwin park green
