Vondel Park restoration project officially completed

AMSTERDAM – Restoration work at the widely-known Vondel Park has been completed. The project, which took ten years, ended officially when city district Oud-Zuid (literally Old South) unveiled another restoration initiative, namely that of the statue of Dutch poet Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679) after whom the park has been named. The park, which annually is visited by about 10 million people, suffered from poor drainage and soil. The trails through the park were raised. In the future, it is hoped, high winds will not topple as many trees, since the project also involved preventative tree care. The banks of the ponds have been shored up as well with new growth, rim and waterplants, to combat soil erosion.