The Frontenpark

The Frontenpark is not your standard city park. You won't find a neatly laid out and maintained park, but an exciting and rugged piece of nature located in the heart of the city. The Frontenpark, which spans 20 hectares, is also described as the untamed back garden of the Sphinxkwartier. Years of neglect have given nature free rein and the park is now a space dedicated to letting nature blossom and maintaining cultural heritage, while also offering a perfect location for events.

De Krul
De Krul is a remnant of the old slipway of the Noorderbrug bridge which has been left standing as a memory of this once important section of road. The impressive concrete colossus is now a lookout point and offers a unique view of both the Frontenpark and Sphinxkwartier.

Fortificantions
Steel decks have been laid over the water at the railway bridge in order to follow the route along the water. Here you find the old fortifications. These were broken through in the past, so that the Lage Fronten (low fronts) could be used as a port. In recent years, the fortification walls in the Lage Fronten have been renovated to prevent further deterioration.

Gashouder
Across the water stands the old and dilapidated former harbour master house, which has been repurposed as a safe haven for bats. A little further ahead you can see the large round Gashouder building surrounded by the city field. The Gashouder building was used up until the 1960s as a storage facility for gas that was extracted from the combustion of coal in the neighbouring Cokesfabriek factory. Hikers can take a moment to rest and enjoy a picnic on the city field. The city field is also used for organizing small-scale events and festivals.

Het Radium: a beehive of creativity
Across the street is Het Radium, the collective name for the buildings that together form the factory site where tyres and rubber were once produced. Nowadays it is a place for creative, recreational, and cultural activities. The five striking buildings, built in a modernist architectural style, that together form Het Radium are the Cokesfabriek factory, the Kunstfront studio, the LABgebouw building, the Gashouder building, and the former factory chimney. Together, they create the industrial look and feel that defines this area. In the area surrounding the Gashouder building, you have a great view of the restored fortifications and the Eiffel building. Het Radium also features several recreational activities such as the Radium Boulders hall and Roomescape.

Lage and Hoge Fronten
Just as they had been in the past, the Lage and Hoge Fronten are once again connected through a 120-metre long dry canal that you can walk through. This joins together the nature reserve and fortifications and provides a safe crossing for animals and hikers. On the north side of the underpass an eco-wall has been constructed, which offers a safe home for the common wall lizard and bats. This marks the start of the Hoge Fronten which run through to the Lambertuskerk (St Lambert's Church). This is a beautiful nature reserve that is certainly worth a visit. The Hoge Fronten have long been a favourite hiking area for residents. This is a protected natural monument dotted with the remnants of the eighteenth and nineteenth-century fortifications, also known as the ‘Line of Du Moulin’.