To celebrate the start of summer and to get to know Eindhoven from the green and historic perspective, Green Cafe is organizing a guided nature walk, together with IVN (Institute for Nature education & sustainability). Nature walks with IVN have been very popular in the past years.

We are going to visit the Estate Grote Beek located along de Boschdijk, close to Philips de Jongh Park. This park is part of the green corridors of the city towards the north. We will discover nature and historic aspects of this special place in Eindhoven. Until the early 20th century this was a forest with pieces of heathland in between and to the south lay farmland. In 1913 the land was bought by the government with the purpose of building a psychiatric institution. Because of this, the estate was not accessible to visitors until 1993 and it is surprising that people hesitate to go hiking here, even though the area is nowadays open to all public.

Because of the closure, nature on the grounds of the estate was inaccessible to the public for around 80 years, allowing a varied and interesting forest vegetation to develop. This place is also known for its richness in the field of birds. There is now a dense network of hiking trails and lots to see in terms of nature. Also the history of the psychiatric institution has left interesting traces which will be shared. At the end of the walk, you will have a perspective on nature within the city and how the city has developed over time.

About IVN: Since 1960, IVN has been connecting people with nature by helping children and adults to experience how fun, healthy and important nature is. They organize nature activities, events, courses, projects and campaigns. This walk is organized by IVN Veldhoven- Eindhoven-Vessem.

Practicalities:
Time: 10:15-12:30. Gather from 10:15, the walk starts at 10:30 (please be on time)
Meeting point: Dokter Poletlaan 32, Eindhoven. To be more sustainable, consider coming by bike or taking the bus. If you come by car, parking spaces P2 and P10 inside the Estate are near the meeting point.

Organizing team:
The Green Café is a collaboration between Trefpunt Groen Eindhoven, People for Planet, Eindje Groen, with individual contributors; Hariprasad Parthasarathy, Mayra Ortega Maldonad and Zubin Nayak. It organizes various activities on sustainability for the international community of Eindhoven. For example, lectures, workshops, city tours and film sessions on the themes of nature, environment, and sustainability. Green Cafe is supported by the Eindhoven Library and the Holland Expat Center South.