Open Huis bij Tolhuistuin: 10 jarig jubileumfeest
Tolhuistuin exists 10 years! We are opening all the doors of Tolhuistuin wide for the 10th anniversary! Come and celebrate with us! The program includes a whole range of activities all over the grounds, in the gardens, the offices, the terraces, the restaurant, the studios. Be surprised by a program we are organizing with our 'huisgenoten':
Come hear live music in the Excelsior Recordings office and Studio Sound Enterprise in the Reserve.
Come dance at the Silent Disco in the Parade office in the Steel Villa.
Come take a nature walk around the grounds with urban ecologist Fred Haaijen.
Come with your kids and make a water course together with the people from Glue Lab. Or do the children's treasure hunt by Stout Rabbit.
Come dance outside on the terrace in the Garden.
Come stroll past all the art on the grounds.
Come to the creators exhibition of incubator sQuare in the Poortgebouw.
Come drink on the terrace at THT by the sea.
Come to the historical tours by Bas Kok.
Come listen to Collectief Walden's podcasts.
Come take a workshop at Climate cleanup.
Come democratic fitness with Bureau Civic Council.
Come dance Dabke during the workshop by IMBY.
and..... did you know you can already dance on the ferry to Tolhuistuin? In short, come celebrate with us!
History of Tolhuistuin
Tolhuistuin has a special history. Tolhuistuin Garden is one of the oldest city parks in Amsterdam. For centuries it has been there, on the other side of the IJ, facing the center of Amsterdam. It was the place where travelers could wait to cross by boat to the center when the city gates opened in the morning.
In 1770, a tea dome was built with a large garden, the Tolhuistuin. That garden is a popular outing for Amsterdam residents, with a beautiful view of the city. Starting in 1870, there are also open-air concerts. There is a dance floor, a bowling alley, a shooting range, a playground and swimming competitions are organized.
Place for research and innovation
When North becomes more and more a place for heavy industry at the end of the 19th century, Tolhuistuin stops holding concerts. However, large manifestations on innovation and technology do take place, such as the first Dutch shipping exhibition in 1913 and the first aviation exhibition Amsterdam in 1919.
With the arrival of Shell, Tolhuistuin becomes part of Lab Amsterdam, the oil giant's research center. For nearly a hundred years, Lab Amsterdam has been the heart of the fossil industry. The site provides space for offices, laboratories and halls with numerous test facilities, such as the Polymer Center, the Pilot Plant, the Shell Tower and the Biological Department. Shell conducts scientific and technical research there on gasoline, asphalt, kerosene, pesticides, cracker gas, chemistry and more. In 1954 the Netherlands' first electronic calculator, the Miracle, a forerunner of the computer, is installed at Noord. For nearly seventy years, the beautiful site was hermetically sealed to the public, tucked away behind a fence. In 2009, Shell sells the site to Gemeente Amsterdam. The municipality starts a competition looking for good ideas to make Tolhuistuin a meeting place for Amsterdam residents.
Tolhuistuin, place for art and culture
The competition is won by Chris Keulemans with the Tolhuistuin Foundation (at the time Culture on the IJ). Tolhuistuin becomes a unique place for art and culture for the residents of Amsterdam, and for Stadsdeel Noord in particular. While the Pavilion is being thoroughly renovated together with Paradiso and THT Horeca B.V., programming will start in the Garden and cultural organizations will move into the various buildings on the site: the Staalvilla, the Poortgebouw, the Reservaat, the Brughuis and Villa Abspoel.
In 2014, the renovation of the Pavilion will be behind us and the entire Tolhuistuin site will be festively opened to the public. Hip-hop dance school Solid Ground Movement and TIP Amsterdam Noord open, and the Reading House also opens its doors.
In a short time, Tolhuistuin has become a vibrant cultural hotspot on the IJ bank of Amsterdam Noord, a place for music, images, stories and delicious food. From intimate theater performances to large concerts and events. From outdoor expos to high-profile podcast programs. From approachable village hall to vibrant festival. A place for imagination and for change.
