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GO lelystad History
The history of Flevoland
The history of Flevoland goes a long way back. About 6500 years ago there lived people in this area in settlements, on high sand-hills. Near the village Swifterbant in the East of Flevoland they even found the oldest skeletons of entire West-Europe. A Romaine history-writer came up with the name Flevo, which they meant the North Rijnmond with.
Because of the big difference between ebb and flood more and more peaces of land disappeared under the water. At the end of the 13th century the large Zuider Zee was created. A lot of land en villages disappeared under the water, only a few hills remained above the water. De people who lived on Urk and on the island hills Emmeloord and Ens, later known by the name Schokland, fought a heavy battle against the slamming waves of the sea. But Schokland sunk more and more into the deepness and became smaller and smaller, so de inhabitants had to leave, halfway the 19th century de island hills. The Zuider Zee was in the Golden Century an important travel-way for the famous VOC-ships and a way of income for fishers. But the Zuider Zee also was a dangerous sea full off shallows and treacherous streams, where a lot of ships were wrecked.
Because the heavy storms and inundations there was a lot of damage, Henric Stevin came with a plan to make an end of the violence and poison of the North Sea. This was in the 17th century. After 1850 a few different propositions where made, with the goal to make an end of the treacherous Zuider Zee. In 1918 the plan off dr. Ir. Cornelis Lely became a fact, the plan to lock of the Zuider Zee en to partly reclaim. The youngest province of the Netherlands would change from a wild sea in the flat polder-country. The previous islands Urk en Schokland became a part of the mainland.
The Netherlands made world fame with the draining - the polder model as it is.
Where once the Zuider Zee and later the IJsselmeer where, was made after the reclamation a whole new landscape with bolt upright roads, modern towns and villages on an equal distance of each other. Even the nature was made according a plan: the woods and nature parks were meant mainly as a recreation area for the human. Meanwhile the nature saves itself. The youngest planting has grown to wide, mature wood-areas and at the westside the Oostvaardersplassen has developed to a bird reservation of unknown wealth. In the extensive Natuurpark Lelystad it seems like al wild animals live in the free nature. Who walks or cycles through this area, will be surprised of how much there is to see. Because of this surprising difference of nature, you wouldn't say that it was such a short while a got hat the polder has been drain.
The becoming of Lelystad
After World War II the city off Lelystad appeared on the maps of the IJsselmeer-area. Mister Takes did a study for the people who lived within the drained Zuider Zee polders and made the conclusion that they needed a town, next to the already planned villages (Emmeloord, Dronten and in the future Zeewolde). Mister Takes had a vision about a new peace of the Netherlands, including a reclaimed Markerwaard. The idea was that Flevoland would become the 12th province and that Lelystad would be the capital of this province.
In 1951 the first inhabitants arrived on the former workers-island Lelystad-Haven. Lelystad-Haven became, after years of isolation, during the growth of Lelystad, a part of this town.
Even now you can see the first buildings of this beginning. As young as the town of Lelystad is it already has a few monuments in the shape of the wooden houses and old barracks. In a few of these houses there still live the same people who where there from the beginning.
In the old barracks, next to these houses, there were established a cafe and a youth-hostel
The former worker island still has the sphere of the 50-years. At the other side of the sluice there is the pumping engine Wortman. You can visit this sluice, by reservation
The polder around the working-island became drained when the dike of Easton Flevoland was closed.
After that moment they began with making plans for Lelystad. The idea was to create a town with a minimum of 100.000 inhabitants. In the mean time the ambition is degreased till 80.000 inhabitants.
On the 9th of March 1966 the building of houses started and a year and six months later, on the 28th September of the year 1967 the first keys of the first houses of Lelystad were distributed. The first people who where going to live in Lelystad was the newly wedded couple H.W.J. van der Bedum-Mulder, who were going to live in a house at the neighborhood named the Middelgronden in the Zuider Zee area. Their first neighbors became the officials of the polder services, the builders, the staff of the contractors, police officials, the mailman and some of the shop owners. Unique in the plans was also the cycling-track-net, which is an important part of the travellingsystem in Lelystad. In Lelystad it is allowed to let the motorized bicycles ride on the roads which are also meant for the cars. This has lead to fewer amounts of traffic victims in this category than other Dutch cities.
Shoppingcentre
At the end of 1967 the first part of the shopping centre Het Lelycentre was opened. This centre was build nearby the Zuiderzeebuurt, where also the first houses where build. The part excisted out of 18 shops. Later on, a bigger shoppingmall was opend. De Gordiaan. The shopkeepers off Het Lelycentre resisted against the coming of the bigger centre, because they thought that Het Lelycentre had more rights to be the main shopping centre. Unfortunately for the shop owners in Het Lelycentre, but De Gordiaan has become now the main shopping centre with lots of different stores, where you can be almost everything you want. Also other there is enough possibility to enjoy a good diner in the restaurants. And in the centre you can fin a theater, a cinema and lots of nice cafes.
Looking back
When you look back at the first years of Lelystad compared with now, you can hardly imagine that Lelystad once was nothing more than a large barren area. Nothing reminds you at the sandy plain from before 1966. In the meanwhile offers the city of Lelystad a large amount of social, cultural and sports provisions. These provisions fit with a young, dynamic city as Lelystad. It has become a big city with her own hospital, large police-station, fire-department and even now an own prison.
Thing-to-do-city
Lelystad is also a city where there is plenty to do. Next to the beautiful nature, as the Oostvaardersplassen and the Natuurpark Lelystad, a visit to one of the many musea, the Batavia-Werf or OutLetShopping Batavia-Stad is a nice thing to do. In Lelystad you will find also four yacht docks, several camping's, a youth-hostel and the beautiful hotel Mercure, in the centre of Lelystad.
In the nearby fishing-village Urk you can take a look in the history of the fishers. And in the 'new' town of Almere you can admire the modern and unique architecture-projects. Most of the new build houses in this city are worth your while. In Biddinghuizen there is the nice and famous attraction-park Six Flags Holland, where you easily can spend the whole day with only adults, kids or the whole family.
In a word: in Flevoland there is history and future, for everyone something to do, and for young and old.
(for more information; see the sights)
Events
Through the whole year in Lelystad there are organized several events, the yearly Oltimerday and the Seabottom Jazz festival are famous in whole the country and even outside of The Netherlands.
In de other village's en cities of Flevoland there is also always something to do or see, Almere organizes yearly the sports event Triathlon and Dronten is well known of her Meerpaaldays.
GOlelystad.nl
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