Amstelpark and Floriade Resources

The Amstelpark dates back to 1972 when it was developed as the the venue for Floriade – the global horticulture exhibition. Some residues of the Floriade remain well-maintained while others are pretty much neglected but are still visible in the park.

Zone2Source wants to revive it’s rich and eventful history and take these historical sites and heritage sources as starting point for artistic research. This material was collected in the context of the researchprogramma and exhibition Exploded View (opening in July 2020) in which 12 artist studied the Amstelpark and looked at historical sources and archival material. This project will include a continuation of the artistic park study Floriade Trash and Treasures by KCCM in 2015, also working with heritage in the park. This material will also be used as a resource for projects and an upcoming programma to rethink the Amstelpark as a park for ecology and art, which will also lead to a festive program in 2022 to celebrate it’s 50th birthday.

In this post, you will find an overview of Amstelpark’s history and the 1972 Floriade glory, as well as documentations and records hidden behind curtains all this time. All resources to enrich contemporary visits to the Amstelpark.

Floriade 1972

Floriade tijdens de aanleg, 1972, Noord-Hollands Archief

The Floriade Expo Amsterdam took place from 26th March to 1st of October 1972 over an area of 75ha in Amstelpark, Beatrixpark, and the Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre. Among three venues, Amstelaprk was as created specifically for the event by Bert Mos to host some of the outdoor exhibitions. The event welcomed around 4.3 million visitors – the greatest number throughout the years in the Netherlands, according to de Volkskrant. The Floriade’s influence remains with Amstelpark in the various structures of themed gardens, pavilions, spacious boulevards, paths and avenues which are well maintained until today.

Find out more about the event through this growing list of resources (please let us know if you have additional sources):

• • Brochure van de Floriade 1972 (pdf)
  • The Official Website of Bureau International des Expositions (The association which organizes Floriade)
  • Footage of the event, through Geheugen van Plan Zuid, including five short films by Piet van Rossum on Youtube

• TV reportage 1972 featuring the Floriade at Amstelpark (Video Sound & Vision / Beeld en Geluid)
• Black-white photos of the event (Wikimedia)
• An analysis of Floriade and other large events in the Netherlands (in Dutch)
• Aerial shot of Floriade 1972 in Amstelpark (link to Aerophoto)
• Archival images of all Floriade Expos that have taken place in the Netherlands.

Floriade Trash and Treasures

As part of the summer program of Zone2Source in 2015, Krijn Christiaansen & Cathelijne Montens (KCCM) researched the history of the Amstelpark and re-enacted certain activities of the 1972 Floriade Expo horticulture exhibition. Read more about the various stages of the project Floriade Trash and Treasures.

original poster of the Floriade 1972, image courtesy Noord Hollands Archief