This place in central Zuidas has been a haven of tranquillity for 190 years

It is Monday morning and rush hour in Fred. Roeskestraat. Young people weave their way towards the Geert Groote College on their bikes, as parents head to the childcare centre with their kids in tow. Then, in the middle of this bustling routine, the entrance to Buitenveldert cemetery suddenly appears. The gate is open, and behind it, you can just make out a few beams of sunlight shining through the tall beech trees. You could easily fail to notice it and simply walk past. But we will not be doing that today.

As you enter the cemetery, the city vibe of Fred. Roeskestraat – where the entrance is located – suddenly seems miles away. In this green place in the middle of Zuidas, all is calm. Well, apart from the background hum from the A10, which runs right past the south side of the cemetery. But even that seems to belong here. It is here that we meet Anja Vink, director of the cemetery for almost two decades. ‘It may be difficult to imagine, but when I took the job 18 years ago, there was almost nothing here in Fred. Roeskestraat’, she says. ‘It was a rather gloomy, abandoned street. But it also makes a striking contrast: this was originally designed as a church courtyard. But since Zuidas has grown and developed, we’re actually now at the centre of busy city life.’

In the course of those 18 years, it is not only that street that has changed, the cemetery itself has also been transformed. ‘Initially, we only had the cemetery and the chapel with a condolence lounge’, says Vink, pointing to the building near the entrance with the words ‘rouwcentrum’ (funeral parlour) written in large letters on the window. ‘In those days, our office was still in that building. When people arrived, they had to wait in a tiny hallway. And we would prepare coffee with our old filter coffee machine. That small hallway filled up pretty quickly, especially when it rained. But in the long run, it wasn’t sustainable. I just had this feeling that everything needed to change.’

And that is what happened. The building that was used for storage was quickly transformed into a proper brasserie. The office was relocated and the vacated space became what is now the funeral parlour. ‘That was back in 2012. Gradually, we really began to become part of the community. The brasserie was full every morning and afternoon, partly with parents who had brought their children to The British School (the school later relocated to Havenstraat, Ed.), but also with people who worked in the new offices nearby. There was also a lot going on at the cemetery, including work on projects with students from the Rietveld Academy and with the Conservatorium. There was a friendly buzz and sense of togetherness – but the tranquillity always remained.’

For a period during the COVID-19 pandemic, everything went quiet. Not only was the funeral sector in dire straits, even the brasserie had to close multiple times. At the end of the crisis, Vink decided not to reopen the brasserie full-time. This sounds like quite a heavy blow, but that’s not how Vink sees it. ‘We did actually have to start all over again’, she says, while she ponders a moment. ‘But then why not? That brings a breath of fresh air and a new perspective.’ We take a small walk in the direction of Amstelveenseweg, where only a green wall separates the cemetery from the busy traffic. ‘One of the challenges we face in the years ahead is ensuring that the cemetery can remain accessible during the Zuidasdok construction work. Fortunately, Zuidasdok understands the cemetery’s role as the green lung of Zuidas. That’s why we’re already discussing having a green noise barrier around part of the cemetery.’

At the moment, Vink is also hard at work preparing for the anniversary year. It will start with lectures and guided tours during ‘24 uur Zuid’ on 11 October 2025. ‘A book about the cemetery is to be published next year. Its author, historian Dr. Wim Cappers has researched and chronicled the history’, says Vink. ‘In the run-up to the book launch, we’ll be paying tribute to people buried here throughout the year. It will include lectures for people who made a contribution to literature or an afternoon of music in honour of a musician. Another example is the famous Belgian painter Rik Wouters, who had his first grave here. His body was later repatriated to Belgium. We now plan to team up with a Belgian museum and organise an exhibition of his art.’