Park Spoor Noord

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Park Spoor Noord

The Park Spoor Noord is a landscape park in Antwerp , Belgium , on the site of a former depot of the Belgian State Railways has emerged. It is located in the north of the old town in close proximity to the (old) port . The old railway area was "transformed into a modern, sustainable and expansive urban landscape with a focus on green, light, space, relaxation, culture and sport."

history

Until the construction of the depot in 1873, the remains of the fortress of Dambrugge (later Fort Pereyra) and Lunet (later Stuivenberg Fort Carnot) were on the site. At the time of its greatest expansion, the depot had an area of ​​24 hectares and was 1.6 km long. It formed a wedge between the districts of Dam , Stuivenberg and Seefhoek . Up until 2001, numerous wagons and locomotives were serviced and repaired there for over a century, and freight trains from the surrounding industry were handled, so that the railway site was also used in part as a marshalling yard . The railway system was also known as a training place. Today there is a new depot further north.

As early as 1998, the area was designated as an urban development area as part of a regional plan. This decision was initially overshadowed by skepticism, not least because of its importance as a possible industrial monument. The negative reputation of the neighboring districts also played a role, as the usefulness of a park in this critical environment was questioned. Surveys among the residents in the districts in question showed, however, that there was a desire for a green area to counteract the extreme density in the area. The adjacent quarters are characterized by high-rise buildings with hardly any adjacent green areas. The National Society of the Belgian Railways sold the area to the city for a symbolic amount of one euro and took over the redevelopment of a 192,000 m² area itself.

Construction of the park began in 2005. The designs came from the Studio Associato Secchi-Viganò by the Italian designers Bernardo Secchi and Paola Viganò, in collaboration with Meertens & Steffens, Buro Kromwijk and Iris Consulting. In 2008 and 2009, the western part and later the eastern part of the park were opened to the public. The park became an instant hit. Thousands of people gather there in summer.

In May 2016, Belgian triathlete Sofie Goos was the victim of a knife attack in the park , in which she was seriously injured. The perpetrator could then be found.

actors

Particularly noteworthy is the actor structure in the implementation of the concept:

  • the city as a director,
  • SNCB as owner,
  • the Belgian federal government as the lender.

Citizen participation also played an outstanding role.

Concept and system

The old carriage hall is used as a sports hall

The park consists for the most part of ungrown open spaces. This is supposed to give a feeling of freedom. The main feature of the Spoor Noord park is its size: a wide and simply designed lawn, which is criss-crossed with paths that connect the different parts of the city with each other and with the park. Gardens, sports fields and small forests allow a variety of different activities. Above all, the aspects of sustainability are in the foreground in the concept.

Among the recreational opportunities, the park offers adventure playgrounds, a BMX run, a skateboard course, a basketball court, table tennis and a water playground with huge fountains. Of course, you can also stroll or cycle through the park.

There is also its own small park bar, which offers cool drinks and snacks, especially in summer.

There is also a car sharing location in the vicinity of the park .

The park is also used as a venue, e.g. B. for the Antwerp Santa Run and the fashion show of the nearby fashion school.

Some of the car halls and workshop buildings have been preserved and converted into sports halls and event halls. A music school is now located in the building of the former administration.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Park Spoor Noord - Cargo Zomerbar. (No longer available online.) In: cargozomerbar.be. June 14, 2020, archived from the original on March 31, 2016 ; accessed on March 31, 2016 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / cargozomerbar.be
  2. ^ Werkgroep Spoorwegemplacement. In: users.skynet.be. Retrieved March 31, 2016 .
  3. ↑ tri2b.com: Assassination attempt: knife attack on Belgian professional triathlete Sofie Goos. In: tri2b.com. May 15, 2016, accessed May 16, 2016 .
  4. ↑ a b Fashion Show Antwerp Academy (Park Spoor Noord): Fashion Show Antwerp Academy (Park Spoor Noord) - VISITFLANDERS. In: visitflanders.com. Retrieved April 3, 2016 .
  5. ↑ cambio CarSharing Germany - stations. In: cambio-carsharing.de. April 3, 2016, accessed April 3, 2016 .
  6. ↑ Santa Run Antwerp: Running for a Christmas party. In: deredactie.be. Retrieved April 3, 2016 .
  7. ^ Fashion Show Antwerp Academy (Park Spoor Noord): Fashion Show Antwerp Academy (Park Spoor Noord) - VISITFLANDERS. In: visitflanders.com. Retrieved April 3, 2016 .

Coordinates: 51 ° 13 ′ 49.7 "  N , 4 ° 25 ′ 29.6"  E