Located along Bamboo Creek and next to the Tainan South District Athletic Park, the Hagenaars Bosch, the “Last Hideaway in Tainan”, officially opened to the public on November 11. Hagenaars Bosch is a park with a fully preserved original forest form and is expected to become Tainan’s latest tourist hotspot with its overall space and highlight attraction designs, recreational facilities, and ecological education guides.
Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che said that past mayors of the city have worked hard to improve the ecological environment of the Bamboo Creek Basin. After taking office, Huang carried on his predecessor Mayor William Lai’s efforts on the Bamboo Creek Waterfront Improvement and Environmental Construction Project. The project employs a subtraction design and low-density development techniques to preserve the Bamboo Creek waterfront and forest ecology. No trees were cut down during the construction process and no cement waste was produced, allowing the project to meet ecological and environmental protection targets. The Mayor expressed that having a natural green lung in the center of the city is extremely valuable and invited everyone to explore this beautiful forest.
The Hagenaars Bosch, or the “Haguean’s Forest”, has a very long history. Records of this forest in historical documents and ancient maps can be traced back to as early as the 17th century. It was an old hunting ground for wild deer. Even though the surrounding settlements have changed with the times, the forest still maintains its original forest form and is one of the rare natural resources in Tainan.