Dronten () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

and a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

in the central

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, in the province of

Flevoland Flevoland () is the twelfth and youngest province of the Netherlands, established in 1986, when the southern and eastern Flevopolders, together with the Noordoostpolder, were merged into one provincial entity. It is in the centre of the countr ...

. It had a population of in .

History

Plans for the municipality of Dronten were made in the early half of the 1950s; real plans for the town of Dronten (the municipality's center) were revealed in 1958. The foundations for the town were laid in 1960. Right from the start there was a discussion whether Dronten was to become a town or a city. The first plans assumed 15,000 inhabitants, while later plans foresaw a growth to 30,000 inhabitants. The first plans for the municipality assumed ten smaller villages situated around the central town (in this case, Dronten). The number of villages was reduced because of increased motorized traffic and experiences gained in developing the

Noordoostpolder Noordoostpolder (; en, "North-East Polder") is a polder and municipality in the Flevoland province in the central Netherlands. Formerly, it was also called '' Urker Land''. Emmeloord is the administrative center, located in the heart of the Noo ...

, where a similar municipality had already been built. Eventually, it was decided that there were to be two smaller villages (

Biddinghuizen Biddinghuizen () is a village in the municipality of Dronten in the Netherlands. It is situated in the center of the province of Flevoland, about north of the city of Harderwijk. On 1 January 2018, the village had 6,295 inhabitants.Swifterbant) and one larger town (Dronten). On 1 January 1972, Dronten was given its official name. In 1995, Dronten hosted in Biddinghuizen the

18th World Scout Jamboree The 18th World Scout Jamboree (Dutch: ''18e Wereldjamboree'') was held August 1 to 11, 1995 and was hosted by the Netherlands on a polder near Biddinghuizen, Dronten community, Flevoland. 28,960 Scouts and staff members from 166 countries and ter ...

. 28,960 Scouts and staff members from 166 countries and territories participated this event.

Population centers

Topography

''Dutch Topographic map of Dronten (town), March 2014.''

Transportation

Dronten has a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

on the Lelystad-Zwolle railway. The majority of velomobile manufacturers in the world are based in Dronten. They include Alligt, velomobiel.nl and InterCityBike.

Entertainment

Biddinghuizen contains the theme park

Walibi Holland Walibi Holland (previously called Flevohof, Walibi Flevo, Six Flags Holland and Walibi World) is a theme park in Biddinghuizen, Netherlands. History The park was opened in 1971 as 'Flevohof'. It was an educational theme park themed after agricu ...

Sister city relations

Ōgata, Akita is a village located in Akita Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 3,164 in 1122 households, and a population density 19 persons per km². The total area of the village is . Geography Ōgata is located northwestern A ...

, Japan (friendship city)

Notable people

Patrick Paauwe Patrick Paauwe (born 27 December 1975) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defender. Club career Paauwe played as a defender in the past but for Feyenoord Rotterdam as a defensive midfielder role. Other teams he served a ...

(born 1975), Dutch former professional footballer with 451 caps *

Cees Paauwe Cees Paauwe (; born 3 November 1977) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Career Born in Dronten, Netherlands, Paauwe played for Lyra, SV 't Harde and FC Zwolle as a youth. From 1995 to 2000 he played for FC Tw ...

(born 1977), Dutch former football goalkeeper with over 100 caps * Bertolf Lentink (born 1980), Dutch singer/songwriter who plays guitar and piano *

Ricardo Talu Ricardo Talu (born 21 July 1993) is a footballer who plays as a centre back for KHC in the Eerste Klasse. Talu has previously played for Zwolle, Telstar and Scottish side Albion Rovers. Career As a youth, Yalu played for Dutch clubs Swift ’6 ...

(born 1993), Dutch-Angolan professional footballer *

Hakim Ziyech Hakim Ziyech ( ar, حكيم زياش; ber, ⵃⴰⴽⵉⵎ ⵣⵉⵢⴰⵛ; born 19 March 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Chelsea. Born in the Netherlands, he represent ...

(born 1993), Dutch-Moroccan professional footballer, currently playing for Chelsea F.C. *

Beitske Visser Beitske Visser (born 10 March 1995) is a Dutch racing driver. She has raced in kart, single-seater, GT and prototype series. Career Karting Born in Dronten, Visser began karting in 2007 and raced in various European and International champi ...

(born 1995), Dutch female racing driver

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Municipalities of Flevoland Populated places in Flevoland