The Istana Park is a

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, located in the

Museum Planning Area The Museum Planning Area is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area located in the Central Area, Singapore, Central Area of the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore. The area plays a "bridging role" between the Orchard Road ...

within the Central Area, Singapore's

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

. The park is bounded by

Orchard Road Orchard Road, often known colloquially as simply Orchard, is a major –long road in the Central Area of Singapore. Known as a famous tourist attraction, it is an upscale shopping area of Singapore, with numerous internationally renowned depa ...

, Penang Road, Penang Lane and Buyong Road. The park is a

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...

situated in front of the Presidential Residence, the

Istana ''Istana'' is an Indonesian language, Indonesian and Malay language, Malay word meaning "palace". Notable Istanas *Istana Alam Shah, the official palace of the Sultan of Selangor *Istana Besar, 19th- and early 20th-century residence of the Sultan o ...

. It has an area of 13,000 square metres. The Istana Park serves as a gateway to Singapore's Civic District Trail, which aims to educate visitors of the rich

history of Singapore The history of the modern state of Singapore dates back to its founding in the early nineteenth century; however, evidence suggests that a significant trading settlement existed on the Singapore Island, Island of Singapore in the 14th century. ...

History

On 20 February 1992, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development, Lee Yiok Seng, unveiled plans to turn the area in front of the Istana to a landscaped park to mark the entrance to the Civic District. Two proposals were considered but the chosen design consisted of a water feature and planting beds. The park was designed by Ren Matsui Landscape Design and the

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

provided architectural and engineering design. The Istana Park was completed in late 1995 and officially opened on 6 September 1996 by National Development Minister

Lim Hng Kiang Lim Hng Kiang ( zh, s=林勋强, p=Lín Xūnqiáng; born 9 April 1954) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Minister for Trade and Industry between 2004 and 2018, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office between 2003 and 2004, Minist ...

. On 7 October 2017, the

Istana Heritage Gallery ''Istana'' is an Indonesian and Malay word meaning "palace". Notable Istanas *Istana Alam Shah, the official palace of the Sultan of Selangor *Istana Besar, 19th- and early 20th-century residence of the Sultan of Johor *Istana Bogor, one of the p ...

, located inside the park, was opened by President

Tony Tan Tony Tan Keng Yam (; born 7 February 1940) is a Singaporean former politician who served as the seventh president of Singapore between 2011 and 2017. He did not seek for a second term as president in 2017 due to a constitutional amendment. ...

Architecture

The centerpiece of the park is the 26-metre-high stainless stell and concrete Festival Arch in a

reflecting pool A reflecting pool, also called a reflection pool, is a water feature found in gardens, parks, and memorial sites. It usually consists of a shallow pool of water, undisturbed by fountain jets, for a reflective surface. Design Reflecting pools are ...

. The design of the arch was based on the gateposts and railings at the Istana's entrance. The arch is symbolic of the gateway to Orchard Road. The reflecting pool is about 40cm deep and one-third the size of an Olympic pool. As part of the

Urban Redevelopment Authority The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore. Mission The authority was established on 1 Apri ...

's Civic District Lighting Plan, the park is lighted daily from 7pm to 7am.

In popular culture

Istana Park was served as the place for a U-Turn in the 9th Leg of the sixteenth season of ''

The Amazing Race ''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in forei ...

''.

References

External links

National Parks BoardIstana Park
{{Parks in Singapore Landmarks in Singapore Parks in Singapore Museum Planning Area