Meaning goats, clucking chickens, bleating sheep and lowing cows. In the middle of the city you hear, see and smell the countryside. The Woelige Stal has been a piece of country life in the Transvaal for 50 years. On the oldest city farm in our city, people meet and unexpected friendships are formed.
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While the tram 00 rushes past, a man on a bench in the Transvaal neighborhood park rubs the sleep from his eyes and children school hopping, Klarita Varekamp is already busy with the animals, as we read on Het Haagse Groen. She is one of the proud managers of De Woelige Stal in one of the most densely populated and petrified districts of The Hague. With such a 70.000 visitors per year, the residents know how to find the city farm.
Favorite cow
For example, local resident Eef walks past with her two dogs, an Indian lady gives ‘her favorite cow’ a pat on the nose and an elderly gentleman rests under the tree with his walker, overlooking the meadow. “I also think this is such a nice place,” says a woman as she calls the goat. “What a cutie! And look there, that little one! The farm makes me so happy.”
Green meeting place
At the end of June it will be 50 years ago that De Woelige Stal became the first city farm opened in our city. The city farms in The Hague now have ten that have been set up from an educational point of view. They are green meeting places in the neighbourhoods. “City residents with different cultural backgrounds meet here in a natural way. Unexpected friendships arise between people. This has been going on for 50 years, even before the word integration existed”, Klarita laughs.
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No ticket needed
People often ask if they need to buy a ticket to enter. “The city farm is free. You can come every day. And if you want you can help with chores, such as weeding the flower garden, maintaining the herb garden, scooping poop in the meadow, feeding chickens, cleaning pens and collecting waste,” says Hans de Rijk, who is in charge of all city farms.
“You don’t come to visit us, no, the city farm belongs to everyone. We involve the neighborhood in what we do. That makes the Woelige Stal so special: in a green oasis, people meet and can participate. There is always chat: Is the cow already pregnant? The lambs are so big… conversations immediately arise in an accessible way,” says Klarita.
No egg in winter
In a neighborhood where people often live small and cannot keep a pet, the Woelige Stal also brings people and animals together. ‘Here you can touch a goat, cow, guinea pig and rabbit. An animal is a living being. The animals also make us aware of where our food comes from. We tell them that chickens don’t lay eggs in winter and that cows only give milk when they have had a calf,’ says Klarita.
The employees also give many lessons to primary schools. “In addition to involving the neighborhood in our work, education is also strongly in our DNA,” says Hans. News understanding has made a reading comprehension lesson about the Woelige Stal for groups 5 and 6 especially for the jubilee year. ‘We are proud of it. It’s a nice place. As soon as Klarita or colleagues open the gate, something happens. There is always a nice meeting and a nice story. And that for 50 years.
Come to the Neighborhood Party
On Wednesday 21 June the Woelige Stal of 20.00 hours to 15.30 hours her 50 anniversary with the neighborhood. They do this with a market with neighborhood organizations about sustainability and environmental education. There are also all kinds of activities for the children, such as a bouncy castle, face painting, cycling together a juice with the smoothie bike and of course a warm-up round of the NK curbs. Until then!
Address: Herman Costerstraat 70/ Transvaalpark.
More information? Check out the site of M
environmental education The Hague
or follow the Woelige Stal via social media (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook)
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