In the 20th century Catharijnesingel became Catharijnebaan: an unattractive urban highway dominated by asphalt and concrete. When offered the chance to revert that development, we took the opportunity to push the idea further to its full potential. As the water returned to the historic Canal area, it brought along a new natural park route right into one of the busiest areas in the Netherlands. The result was an urban landscape that was fully connected to the past, the present and the future.
 

Soft and sloping city park
The project area has a green and sloping character in which ecology, (water) recreation and traffic have been carefully integrated. Thanks to the nature-friendly foreshores, there is more space for flora and fauna, and a lot of greenery has been brought back into the city. In the style of the Dutch landscape architect Zocher, the water line is a cultivated line in which the reflection of the park is visible. The same design components as elsewhere along the canal are applied here. These include rhododendrons, short-mowed meadows, roughly mowed meadows with feral flower bulbs, shrub groups and the scattered groups of trees.

Cruising around the historic city centre
On the east side, the berths for pleasure craft are removed to enhance the park atmosphere. The jetty’s been made suitable for mooring canoes (lower entry and exit) and mooring wedding and funeral boats and is made accessible for the disabled. With the return of the water, the entire canal will once again be a place where people can have a pleasant stay. You can cruise around the city centre and see the old remains of Vredenburg Castle under the Hoog Catharijne shopping centre.