Westerpark Skate Park
There is no dedicated skate park at these coordinates — what you find instead is a 50-hectare park in Amsterdam West where a former industrial gasworks has been slowly converted into one of the city's most layered public spaces. The Westergasfabriek complex sits at its centre: Dutch neo-renaissance brick buildings that once produced town gas for street lighting, now given over to a cinema, bars, a brewery, and event venues.
A bicycle path runs the full length of the park, children wade in a water play area near the back of the complex, and on any given afternoon the lawns hold a loose mix of picnickers, runners, and families visiting the petting zoo.
💛 What travellers fall for
Regulars tend to time a visit around the Sunday Market on the first Sunday of the month, then stay longer than planned. Coffee at Espressofabriek before a circuit of the stalls, a late lunch at Mossel & Gin or Cantine de Caron, and an evening film at Het Ketelhuis — that sequence keeps pulling people back.
The story behind Westerpark Skate Park
The land has been in near-constant transformation since 1845, when the city laid out a public garden called Westerplantsoen as relief from industrial pollution. That garden was torn down in 1891 to make way for the relocated Western Canal, and landscape architect Leonard Springer redesigned the park in 1890.
Meanwhile, in 1883 the city had granted a concession to the Imperial Continental Gas Association to build a gasworks on the adjacent site. Architect Isaac Gosschalk designed the brick buildings in Dutch neo-renaissance style. The plant ran until 1967, when natural gas discovered in the North Sea made it obsolete. The complex was designated a National Monument in 1991, and American landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson prepared the master plan that integrated the old buildings as cultural and hospitality venues. The park as it stands today opened to the public in 2003.
Good to know
Tram 10 to Van Hallstraat is the cleanest approach from the centre; Bus 21 from Central Station also stops there. The park and outdoor areas are free. Events inside the Gashouder or Het Ketelhuis require tickets booked separately. Allow at least two hours to do the space any justice.
Amsterdam summers are mild and often overcast; the park is most reliably pleasant from May through September, when the lawns fill out and outdoor terraces open. Autumn brings sharp light and quieter crowds. Winter visits are possible but the open ground can feel exposed in wet westerly wind.
Where is Westerpark Skate Park?
Location
- In Westerpark
- 52.3878, 4.8695
- Open in Google Maps
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