The Bosbaan is a
rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
situated in the
Amsterdamse Bos
The Amsterdamse Bos (English: ''Amsterdam Forest'') is an English park or landscape park in the municipalities of Amstelveen and Amsterdam. Although most of the park is located in Amstelveen, the owner of the park is the City of Amsterdam. The ...
(Amsterdam Forest) in
Amstelveen
Amstelveen () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands with a population of 92.353 as of 2022. It is a suburban part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area.
The municipality of Amstelveen consists of the historical villages o ...
, Netherlands. Amstelveen is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands and is part of the metropolitan area of Amsterdam. Confusingly, all built structures at the north-eastern end of the course fall under jurisdiction of the city of
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
. The Bosbaan (literal translation: Woods Course) is the oldest artificial rowing course in the world.
The course was built in 1936 as part of an employment project and originally had five lanes, but was then widened to six lanes in 1954 when Amsterdam hosted the
European Rowing Championships
The European Rowing Championships is an international Rowing regatta organised by FISA (the International Rowing Federation) for European rowing nations, plus Israel which, though not a member of the European federation is treated as a European ...
, the first international event where women were allowed to participate as elite rowers.
Following a major renovation in 2001, the Bosbaan measures 2200 metres in length, 118 metres across and features 8 lanes. In this reconstruction the boat storage facilities were also doubled in size, and the old grandstand demolished.
In July 2005 the first international championships (since the expansion of 2001) took place at the Bosbaan: the WU23 (World Championships Under 23). In 2006, the rowing course hosted the World Junior Championships and in 2007, it was the site of the 2nd Rowing World Cup Regatta. In 2014 it hosted the
2014 World Rowing Championships
The 2014 World Rowing Championships were the 44th edition of the World Rowing Championships and were held from 24 to 31 August 2014 at Bosbaan, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, the second occasion on which the event had been held in Amsterdam, or ...
.
The Bosbaan hosts both the Olympic Training Centre for the national rowing association (KNRB) and the
Vrije Universiteit
The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research ...
student rowing club R.S.V.U. 'Okeanos'. Both are housed in a modern dedicated training and club facility, designed to be reminiscent of the former grandstand.
The venue is popular for leisure activities such as recreational
running
Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...
(the marked perimeter path is 5 km);
running events
Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...
;
dragonboat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family of t ...
races and angling.
The Bosbaan lies in parallel with the approach to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol's runway 09/27, at approx 2 km distance.
References
External links
{{coord, 52, 19, 35, N, 4, 50, 16, E, display=title, region:NL_type:landmark_source:nlwiki
Sports venues in Amstelveen
Rowing venues