The Oosterpark is a city park in the Oosterparkbuurt in East Amsterdam. It was the first park that was built by the municipality of Amsterdam and it is one of the most popular parks with a natural beauty in a wide open space. Earlier parks in the city were smaller (Sarphatipark) or private initiative (Vondelpark). The Oosterpark is designed by a Dutch landscape architect, Leonard Anthony to be an English garden, it was laid out in the year 1981.
Due to the fact that there was an extremely old cemetery in place where the park was going to be constructed, it upset many people and several protests were held to stop the plans of the park. However, that did not stop the construction from beginning and instead, the builders moved the cemetery to an agreed upon location, which is now known as the New Ooster Begraafplaats. In addition, the park also contains a small part of the former cemetery.

If you decide to head to Oosterpark while in Amsterdam – as you should – then you will be pleasantly surprised to find that there is in fact so much to see, do, and discover while wandering about the grounds. Visit the National Slavery Monument that helps to commemorate the abolition of slavery occurring in the Netherlands in the year 1863 and then moving onto the Memorial to Theo van Gogh, a controversial columnist and film maker.

Fields perfect for families of little ones to go running around and enjoy getting a breath of fresh air and removing themselves from the constant hustle and bustle of the city life, Oosterpark is a fantastic place to spend a morning or afternoon in Amsterdam.

Oosterpark in brief
Place: Oost/Watergraafsmeer, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Opened: 1891
Locally Known As: Oosterpark
Admission: FREE