Graaf Visartpark

This park was one just outside of the city centre that originally was planned. It came into being around the former turn of the century. The inhabitants of Bruges were then hoping for a fast expansion of their city with the new port of Zeebrugge, the digging of a Sea canal and the construction of a new inland port.

King Leopold II insisted that the German urban developer Jozef Stubben was hired to design a modern living and working area.

While Stubben had an industry zone in mind, the plans were pushed in another direction. Based on instructions of the then mayor Amedée Visart de Bocarmé a new park was designed. It was realised very abstractly. After the park first was called Milne-Edwardspark, it was 5 years after the death of the mayor Visart decided to name the park after him. The park new a lot of difficulties and didn't seem to be able to grow.

A few years after the layout it was left deteriorated. In 1954 it was taken into consideration. Trees had to be cut down to let more sun in and flowersbeds were laid oud. In the sixties of the 20th century it also served as 'traffic park', as it is still remembered by some, but because of the continues changes in traffic the infrastructure fell more and more behind untill couldn't serve anymore for traffic lessons. Since 1982 the traffic paths have been integrated in the park and a little playground had been planted as well.