Goffertpark

Goffertpark
Goffertpark in Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Type	Stadspark
Location	Nijmegen
Area	83 ha
Opening	1939

The Goffertpark, or Stadspark de Goffert, is an urban park in the Dutch city of Nijmegen. It is sometimes used as an outdoor concert venue and is also the site of the Goffertstadion, the stadium that is home to the football club N.E.C.

History

In the 1930s, Nijmegen began developing sixty-five hectares of woodland and heathland into a park with a sports field, a stadium, a teahouse, and a zoo. The new Goffertpark was opened to the public on 8 July 1939.

Urban planner Alphons Siebers developed the plans for Goffertpark in the early 1930s as part of the General Expansion of Nijmegen. This expansion aimed to create a network of ring roads and radials following the canals around the old town while also providing green strips, parks, and playgrounds in different districts.

The Volkspark, a recreational and sporting destination, is located southwest of the city near the old Goffert Farm. Similar parks were built in other parts of the Netherlands, such as Zuiderpark in The Hague and Amsterdam Forest. However, in the case of Goffertpark, Mayor J. A.H. Steinweg insisted on constructing it as part of the unemployment relief program to manage construction costs.

Work started in the spring of 1935 with one-hundred-sixty unemployed individuals employed to work in the park, earning a fee of 35 cents per hour.

Despite utilising the land's natural slope, approximately 600,000 cubic meters of sand had to be excavated. Most of the work was done manually with shovels and wheelbarrows, with the most challenging task being digging a six-meter-deep pit for the stadium, famously known as "the bloedkuul" (the blood pit).

Present status

The Goffertpark is designated as a municipal monument.

In 1939, N.E.C. relocated to the stadium, which also serves as a venue for athletics and cycling. Sixty years after its opening, in 1999, the park and stadium underwent comprehensive refurbishment and modernization.

Renowned artists, including AC/DC, Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Bon Jovi (twice), Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Coldplay (twice), Deftones, Guns N' Roses (three times), Kings of Leon (twice), KISS, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Eminem, Metallica, Mudvayne, Mumford and Sons, Phil Collins, Muse (twice), Pearl Jam (twice), Pink Floyd, Rammstein (twice), Robbie Williams, R.E.M., Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers (three times), The Rolling Stones (twice), U2, Van Halen, and Velvet Revolver have performed at the Goffertpark as part of its concert series.

See also

• Stadion de Goffert

External links

• www.nijmegen.nl - Nijmegen city official website.