Queen Astrid park
The Astridpark is a beautiful open space with church in the city centre of Bruges. The Friar Minors, who had settled in Bruges around 1221, were granted a terrain on the Braamberg in 1246. As it is normal for a convent, it boasted a large garden inside the convent walls, where the Friars were able to work in peace and meditate, untill the French gained power. In the 18th century all religious communities were dissolved. As a consequence, the convent was torn down and the garden went to private persons. The city bought 3ha in 1850. Part of it would be destinated to the expansion of the city prison, other part to the construction of the Magdalena church. The then director of the Office of Public Construction received the task to rebuild the remaining terrain into a park.
Garden architect Edigius Rosseels was envolved in the entire project in 1851. He was asked to draw a park design. He got inspired by the English landscape style of the 18th century. To be able to call upon the landscape illusion in this relative little surface, he made use of differences in height, grass loans with groups of trees and a central pool, as a romantic mirror surface.
The dense growth of plants along the streetsides were meant to forget that the park was located in the city centre. Because of the rugged-shaped paths and the evitating of straight lines, a continues altering view over the picturesque park is possible. Inicially the park was named after its previous owners, "Hof der Recollete" (Garden of the Recollets) or the Franciscan garden. Around 1855-1856 other terms such as 'Botanieken Hof (Botanical garden) or just 'Den publieken hof' (public garden) or the park arose. Even more rare is the name 'warande'. In 1906 the official name was Jardin Botanique (Botanical Garden). After the death of Queen Astrid in 1935 decisions were made to name the park after her, so that she would remain remembered. THe year after that the artist De Wispelaere created a bronze bust of Astrid. This buste was placed in the park. The residents of Bruges still call the Astridpark 'Botanieken Hof'.
