The World's Most Vibrant Springtime Park to Open Soon
LISSE, The Netherlands, March 15 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Just a few days to go until the most vibrant springtime park in the world opens its gates for the new season. The theme for this year's Keukenhof is "300 year Linnaeus, the King of Flowers".
Linnaeus, the famous Swedish botanist, studied and earned a doctorate in the Netherlands at the Dutch university in Harderwijk, the predecessor of what is now Wageningen University of Life Sciences.
The centrepiece will be the Herbarium Amoris photographic exhibition. The Keukenhof organisers chose this theme to highlight the enormous importance of Linnaeus to the bulb-growing industry and have linked it to Dutch-Swedish relations. We are proud and honoured that Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has consented to perform the opening ceremony.
The theme of Dutch-Swedish relations will be further developed with a wonderful flower mosaic of Pippi Longstocking, measuring 11 x 16 metres, as well as a number of inspirational gardens designed by Swedish magazines. A famous Swedish home furnishings store has financed the lay-out of these gardens and the 'period rooms' in partnership with the International Bulb Centre.
Garden enthusiasts and nature lovers can celebrate spring at Keukenhof from 22 March till 20 May, when the 32-hectare park will be a feast for the eyes with a staggering 7 million bulbs in full bloom, flowering shrubs, centuries-old trees and ornamental lakes with fountains. Again, each path leads to a spectacular tableau.
Keukenhof offers untold opportunities for amateur and professional photographers, and art devotees will love the pieces by famous Dutch and foreign artists strategically placed around the park. The oldest part of the park provides the setting for "De Stoel" (the chair), a project by some 25 artists, each with his/her very own interpretation of the same theme. Sculptures by Carl Milles, one of Sweden's greatest artists, are on show in the spring meadow.
There's lots of fun in store for children in the playground and the petting zoo, not to mention the challenging 'brainbox' puzzle trail. Tiny tots will be enthralled by the Teletubbies garden. Royalty watchers can feast their eyes on an exhibition of Royal Hats, which have actually adorned royal heads. Top international millinery designers have been invited to exhibit creations inspired by the Royal Hats theme. An international jury will announce the winner during the traditional Easter Parade on Easter Monday (9 April).
Keukenhof is also an ideal destination for travellers with a stopover in the Netherlands; direct buses from Schiphol and Leiden can bring them to the springtime extravaganza in Lisse in less than thirty minutes. There is no better way to start the season ...
