Banierpark

Banierpark is a small but distinctive neighborhood park in Sint-Amandsberg, a district of Ghent, in the area locally known as Wasstraat-Dampoort. What sets it apart from an ordinary patch of lawn and benches is its concept as a "sneukeltuin" — an edible garden where visitors are actually encouraged to pick and taste what grows there.

What grows in Banierpark?

The park was planted so that both children and adults can sample whatever happens to be ripe at any given moment. The plantings include fruit trees such as apple, quince and medlar, alongside mirabelle plums that produce small, sweet fruit in summer. Next to the trees grow fruiting shrubs and climbers — grapevines, kiwi, raspberries and elderberry, the latter's berries often used afterward for syrups. Nut trees round out the mix: sweet chestnut, walnut and hazelnut, while lower plantings include herbs that visitors can use in cooking. This layout means the park's character shifts with the seasons — fruit trees blossom in spring, followed by successive waves of fruit and nuts to gather through summer and autumn.

Who is the park for?

Banierpark functions as a local neighborhood meeting spot, typical of Ghent's more densely built districts where residents value having a patch of green close to home. Besides its edible section, the park also includes a fenced dog meadow (hondenlosloopweide) — a space where dog owners can let their pets run off-leash without risk of collisions with pedestrians or cyclists using the park's paths. This combination of an edible garden and a dog exercise area means Banierpark sees visitors throughout the day, drawn by different reasons.

Location and neighborhood context

The park lies in Sint-Amandsberg, a Ghent district just east of the historic center, directly adjacent to the Dampoort area, one of the city's transport hubs. It's a predominantly residential part of town, where municipal greening initiatives like sneukeltuinen aim to give residents without their own garden a way to engage with growing produce and the natural rhythm of the seasons.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors actually pick fruit in Banierpark? Yes — that's the whole idea behind a sneukeltuin. The fruit, berry and nut plants were deliberately chosen so that visitors can pick and eat them on site as they ripen through the season.

Is the park suitable for walking a dog off-leash? Yes, the park includes a dedicated fenced meadow where dogs can run freely without a leash.

What kind of fruit and nuts grow here? Among others: apple, quince, medlar and mirabelle trees, plus grapevines, kiwi, raspberries, elderberry, sweet chestnut, walnut and hazelnut.

Where in Ghent is Banierpark located? It's in the Sint-Amandsberg district, in the Dampoort area, just east of Ghent's historic center.

Is it a large park? No — Banierpark is a compact, local neighborhood green space rather than a sprawling landscaped park, designed primarily to serve nearby residents.