Big Shine

The Groot Schijn is an important river for Antwerp. Before it enters the city, many tributaries end up in it. The Rivierenhof is the last part where the Groot Schijn still follows a more or less natural route. From the Ten Eeckhove district, near the Ring, the stream disappears underground. Until a few years ago it flowed in tubes in a northerly direction, but recently this river was connected to the Lobroekdok and Albert Canal with a pumping station. At the Rivierenhof, the stream flows at a transition between loamy and sandy soils. The wet sand plains, in combination with the park layout, are the habitat for species that occur on the border between open and wooded areas such as the orange tip, a butterfly that lays its eggs on pentecostal flower and look-without-look. In terms of vegetation, special species include tuberous saxifrage, pipewort, and giant weed.

Groenplan Stad Antwerpen