A row of innergardens

Java-eiland is too narrow for a wide central road, which is why a through route on the north side and a promenade on the south side was chosen. The central axis is formed by a succession of public inner garden courtyards, which came into being when the side canals, which divide the island into five smaller island blocks with more or less closed perimeter blocks, were built.

The first island block, just after the connecting point between KNSM-eiland and Java-eiland, is half open and provides a view over the IJ. A park has been created here, while the other four blocks have an inner garden courtyard. In order to reinforce the connection between the gardens, the theme ‘Seasons’ has been chosen. Anyone who follows the route through the gardens from east to west, passes through the seasons spring, summer, autumn and winter, in that order. The seasons are expressed in the different plantings, colours, fragrances and of course in the flowering season.
The gardens have names that refer to the island of Java in the former Dutch East Indies, the destination of the Dutch steamship company that used to have its headquarters here. From east to west: Bogor garden, Kraton garden, Taman Sapi garden, Imogiri garden, Tosari garden. In present-day Indonesia, Tosari is a cool nature reserve, situated at a high altitude, at the foot of a volcano. The trees in this Amsterdam winter garden are in full bloom with their white blossom in the middle of winter. (ARCAM/VKB)