The Park Ranger

The bronze sculpture depicts a park ranger and is placed on a pedestal. The pedestal lists the six names of the park rangers who managed the park from 1898 to 1995.

The monument was created by artist Ruth Vulto Gaube of Workum. The monument was opened in honor of the former park rangers who supervised the fauna and flora in the Wilhelminapark in Sneek over the past hundred years - from 1898 to 1994.

Feije Sinnema (1899-1916)
Willem Hoekstra (1916-1949)
Gerke Schuurmans (1950-1972)
Sjoerd Tigchelaar (1972-1974)
Minne Tjepkema (1975-1986)
Douwe de Groot (1986-1994)

Ruth Vulto Gaube on the creation of the bronze sculpture. "I was inspired by a photograph of someone in a park ranger's uniform. In the pose of the sculpture, I took two things into account. The park ranger should exude something friendly, but at the same time he should also demand respect. Because there are several gentlemen on the plaque I did not use pictures of the Sneker park rangers. I spent a year working on it anyway."

The monument is an initiative of the Sneek van Weleer Foundation. The foundation aims to restore Wilhelminapark to its former glory. Behind the Vondelpark, the Wilhelminapark in Sneek ranks second in terms of national monuments in the Netherlands when it comes to city parks. Together with artists, volunteers, municipality of Súdwest Fryslan and local businesses, the Foundation wants to bring back the atmosphere and experience it deserves. For example, the benches in the middle grounds will be replaced and the first 17 of the total of 35 tree signs have been installed.