Municipal Park

The municipal park was laid out in 1928-1929 to a design by Paul Hasaerts. Together with the Provincial Technical Schools and the surrounding garden district, it was conceived as a global project of the 'Boomsche Beekbosschen Tuinwijk' north of the centre of Boom. The municipal park was created in 1928-1929 with French garden, forest, ponds (fed by the Molenbeek) and sports grounds designed by architect Paul Haesaerts. An existing nature reserve was used for this. Together with the Provincial Technical Schools and the surrounding garden district, the park was conceived as a global project. These were part of the urban concept for the new residential area 'Boomsche Beekbosschen Tuinwijk' north of the centre of Boom, of which the municipal park was also part. Under the impulse of engineer Benjamin Haesaerts, father of Paul Hasaerts, the intermunicipal association 'Boomsche Beekbosschen Tuinwijk' was founded in 1925 by the province of Antwerp and the municipalities of Boom, Niel and Reet. This association set itself, among other things, the goal of creating a new 'healthy' neighborhood in Boom, equipped with a municipal park. A second assignment was to build a provincial industrial school for the Rupel region. For the construction of this district, Boom and the Province purchased almost 29 hectares of forest and adjacent meadows from the noble Cardon de Lichtbuer family in 1925. About 18 hectares of meadow and marshland were also expropriated. The Provincial Technical Schools in Boom were built between 1926 and 1930. The cabinet map of the Ferraris (1770-1778) shows the location of the park as an alternation of forest area and hedged fields and meadows in the valley of the Bosbeek. Parallel to the stream, a drive runs through the forest. This drive would later be included in the route of the Beukenlaan. The map of Vandermaelen (1846-1854) illustrates the gradual deforestation, mainly north of the stream. A narrow strip of bush along the stream was preserved. This strip was integrated into the park. Description The municipal park of Boom, with an area of approximately 27 hectares, is located north of the center of Boom. The 's Herenbaan borders the triangular park to the north. The Beukenlaan and the Spoorweglaan form the eastern and western boundaries respectively. West of the Spoorweglaan is the garden district. The Provincial Technical Schools (protected as a monument by ministerial decree of 9 June 2004) are located east of the Beukenlaan, along the southeastern side of the park. Two backdrops of serrated plane trees surround the entrance to the park at the triangular square between the Beuken- and spoorweglaan in the south of the park. The masonry staircase construction leads to a stage. In this part of the park, polygonal ponds with brick bridges, passages and fences have been constructed in line with the new objectivity. In and around the water features are brick pedestals with bronze statues by well-known artists, namely 'Zegepraal', 'Vooruitstreven', 'Nadenken' and 'Volksvrouw' by Ernest Wijnants, 'Moederweelde' and 'Solidariteit', both from 1934 by Joris Minne, and 'Volksvrouw' by Rik Wouters. The southern part of the park is surrounded by a shaved hedge and a row of trees of silver maples. The municipal park is a relic of the Bosbeek valley in which the geomorphological valley shape was preserved and incorporated into the park construction. A pronounced relief shape with very varied vegetation characterizes the central and northern part of the park. The meandering stream runs through a river forest landscape and in some places widens into a serpentine pond. Artificially constructed rocks and waterfalls are the attraction point of the northern park section. The planting consists mainly of deciduous trees, coniferous trees are only limited. Recreational facilities were also integrated into the park, such as tennis courts, an athletics track, football fields and an outdoor swimming pool with sunbathing area. The sports grounds are mainly located in the north of the park. A milk house and playground are centrally located. There is also a target stand in the park with two poles for a standing seesaw and a caged reclining seesaw with the associated clubhouse and a zone for dog dressing.

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