During every walk through Bosjes van Poot I wonder: why do I love this park in city district Segbroek so much more than any other park within The Hague? Probably because Bosjes van Poot reminds me of the woods back home on Wadden island Texel: the atmosphere, the edge of the dunes, the planted mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees, the sandy paths…

Willem and Jacob
The successive owners of the estate that is now Bosjes van Poot planted trees to prevent from drifting dune sand. Farmer Thymon van Veen surrounded his yard with oaks around 1650. At the end of 17th century, aristocrat Van Boetzelear expanded this fence to an oak wood plantation. In 1833 the estate is bought by (later) King Willem II. The Dutch Royals thereafter commissioned the planting of conifers. To guard the land and to prepare their hunting parties the Royal family hired brothers Willem and Jacob Poot. In 1907, after the estate became part of the municipality of The Hague, Jacob Poot was employed as forester. During those days, the estate had been opened to the general public who named it informally after its woodsman.

Bosjes van Poot is perfect for a family walk. In the center, you’ll find a small playground called Het Apenbos and dogs are allowed to roam freely everywhere within Bosjes van Poot.

Bureau Dégradé, a multidisciplinary theater society, located near the Bosjes van Poot,  created an individual poetry walking tour through the park as part of one of their performances.