Sloterdijkermeer allotment park, Amsterdam

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 Sloterdijkermeer allotment park, Amsterdam

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, Amsterdam

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 Sloterdijkermeer allotment park, Amsterdam, in 1976

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)

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