Tuinpark Sloterdijkermeer
Allotment garden Tuinpark Sloterdijkermeer at Sloterdijkerweg 20 dates from 1936 and is part of the so-called gardens of the Westerpark area. The gardens are located along the Haarlemmerweg, adjacent to the terrain of the Westergasfabriek. Together with allotment garden Nut en Genoegen from 1920 it is a beautiful green and quiet area for both gardeners and visitors, well worth a stroll on a nice day. The complex also organizes various activities for inhabitants and area residents throughout the year. The parks are open from March til the end of September, from half an hour before sunrise until half an hour before sundown.

Map of the Sloterdijkermeer allotment park, near the edge of Sloterdijk village (May 2022).
Area History
The Overbraker Binnenpolder (Overbraak Inner Polder) is a former polder area, southwest of the Spaarndammerdijk up to the Sloterweg. In the 17th century this was called Slooterpolder. After the construction of the Haarlemmervaart (Haarlem Canal) in 1632 the area south of it was called Sloter Binnenpolder, north of it Overbraker Binnenpolder. A windmill kept this part of the polder dry from 1646 on. That windmill was demolished in 1884 and replaced by a steam-powered pumping station — it is still there at Haarlemmerweg 20, now electric. The Westergasfabriek along the Haarlemmerweg was built in 1883. The Overbraker Binnenpolder now houses the allotment parks Nut en Genoegen and Sloterdijkermeer, as well as the old village of Sloterdijk.

Entrance of the Sloterdijkermeer allotment park, near Sloterdijk (May 2022).
Short History of the Allotment Gardens
In 1917 many emergency locations were created for growing food during the First World War. After 1918, the city recognized that there was a growing need for green activities among the city population, which allowed the allotment gardens to continue on most emergency locations. In 1927 the city decided to create two big allotment parks, Nut en Genoegen (near the Spaarndammerdijk and cemetery Saint Barbara) and Ons Buiten (near the Nieuwe Meer). In 1950 Tuinpark Sloterdijkermeer (between the old village of Sloterdijk and the Westergasfabriek) was created, next to Nut en Genoegen. In the 1970s both allotment gardens were diminished (despite protests), because of the construction of the business park Sloterdijk I and a new railroad from Amsterdam to Haarlem.
You can still see the medieval ditch pattern of the landscape here: these ditches were dug from the 10th century on to get rid of the water in the peat terrain. The polders around the area were created in the 17th century.

Aerial view of the allotment park in 1976, the business park north of it still half empty (Stadsarchief Amterdam).
Photo Gallery Tuinpark Sloterdijkermeer (May 2022)
If you see this after your page is loaded completely, leafletJS files are missing.