Bijgaarde Park is designed as an adventure park with bushes, flower meadows, open lawns and play areas for children of different ages.
The smaller children will find a train at the park entrance of the Forelstraat and a play zone in the central part.
For the slightly older children there are play forests, one of which has a tree house. In addition to being a nice hangout and play area, the large hill is also a lookout point.
Remains of the beehive
From the 13th to the 16th century, the 'bee orchard' of St Bavo's Abbey was located on this spot. It was an orchard where bees provided precious honey.
Now, many centuries later, the Bijgaarde Park is still very valuable. In the densely populated Sint-Amandsberg, this green space of approximately 2.5 hectares is very welcome.
Lots of bees and other nature
Bees are still welcome here. They thoroughly enjoy the flower-filled strip along the railway. In addition, bee-friendly seed mixtures have been sown around the central lawn. And a few 'bee hotels' have been hung on the old factory wall.
The Bijgaarde Park is being renovated!
In 2021, the park will be renovated and expanded towards the Malmar site. Good for about 2,000 m². The industrial character of the site is preserved: the walls and the original truss structure are (partly) preserved and serve as a basis for climbing plants.
A fern garden will be built between the walls, where you can enjoy the greenery in the shade of the city.
The vegetable garden project of the non-profit organization De Bijgaard will also be given a permanent place on the site and will eventually acquire a more public character.
After years of vacancy, other residents also settled in the Malmar factory: a colony of protected bats is currently housed in the basement. In the park design we include small interventions to make the bats feel at home: sheltered spots, a wet cellar and adapted plants.
Source: City of Ghent