Lelystad () is a

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

and a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...

in the centre of the

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 ...

, and it is the capital of the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

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 ...

. The city, built on reclaimed land, was founded in 1967 and was named after Cornelis Lely, who engineered the Afsluitdijk, making the reclamation possible. Lelystad is approximately

below sea level This is a list of places on land below mean sea level. Places artificially created such as tunnels, mines, basements, and dug holes, or places under water, or existing temporarily as a result of ebbing of sea tide etc., are not included. Places ...

. It is located about 20 km north east of

Almere Almere () is a planned city and municipality in the province of Flevoland, Netherlands, located about 20 km to the east of Amsterdam (as the crow flies) across the IJmeer. Bordering Lelystad and Zeewolde, the municipality of Almere comprises ...

and 40 km west of

Zwolle Zwolle () is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Overijssel and the province's second-largest municipality after Enschede with a population of 130,592 as of 1 December 2021. Zwolle is on ...

History

Lelystad is built on the seabed of the former

Zuiderzee The Zuiderzee or Zuider Zee (; old spelling ''Zuyderzee'' or ''Zuyder Zee'') was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km (60 miles) inland and at most 50 km (30 miles) wide, with an ov ...

. About 6500 years ago this wetland was above high tide level and inhabited; the Netherlands have steadily subsided since. Near Lelystad at Swifterbant, the oldest

human skeleton The human skeleton is the internal framework of the human body. It is composed of around 270 bones at birth – this total decreases to around 206 bones by adulthood after some bones get fused together. The bone mass in the skeleton makes up a ...

s in Western Europe were discovered. Due to rising water levels and storms, the

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

lands were washed away, and the Lacus Flevo (in Roman times) grew to be the

(Middle Ages) and became the

. The Zuiderzee (Southern Sea) was the main transport route from

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

to the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

and the Hanseatic League cities. Due to the many

shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

s in Flevoland, Lelystad now houses the National Centre for Maritime

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

, with a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and th ...

and the

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance ...

that has built the Batavia replica. Lelystad sunset

After the Second World War the Zuiderzee Works continued, constructing the

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plain ...

of Eastern Flevoland. In 1950 work commenced on several construction islands in the middle of the

IJsselmeer The IJsselmeer (; fy, Iselmar, nds-nl, Iesselmeer), also known as Lake IJssel in English, is a closed off inland bay in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland. It covers an area of with an a ...

. ''Lelystad-Haven'' was the largest island, and its wooden barracks housed a community of dyke-builders. In 1955 they reached the mainland, which made it possible to drive to Lelystad by car. One of the three

pumping station Pumping stations, also called pumphouses in situations such as drilled wells and drinking water, are facilities containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure systems, ...

s, which drained the polder in June 1957, was the diesel-powered ''Wortman'' in Lelystad-Haven. Until 1967 the only inhabitants of Lelystad were technical

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

s and laborers and superintendents, living on the former construction island.

Demographics

Ethnic composition

*66% is Dutch *11% western migration background *33% not western migration background

Climate

Landscape

Lelystad is the largest municipality in the Netherlands in area, but a large part of that area is water:

Markermeer The Markermeer () is a lake in the central Netherlands in between North Holland, Flevoland, and its smaller and larger neighbors, the IJmeer and IJsselmeer. A shallow lake at 3 to 5 m in depth, matching the reclaimed land to its west, n ...

and

. Another major area is the internationally famous nature park of

Oostvaardersplassen The Oostvaardersplassen () is a nature reserve in the Netherlands, managed by the ''Staatsbosbeheer'' (state forestry service). Covering about in the province of Flevoland, it is an experiment in rewilding.Oostvaardersplassen is discussed, for ex ...

, which arose naturally when the polder of ''South Flevoland'' was drained. Lelystad is also surrounded by a square of woodlands and parks and flat farmland. The importance of the landscape and sky is emphasized by several pieces of

land art Land art, variously known as Earth art, environmental art, and Earthworks, is an art movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, largely associated with Great Britain and the United StatesArt in the modern era: A guide to styles, schools, & mov ...

: engineers' work and works such as the ''Observatorium'' by Robert Morris (see below). The artificial islands of Marker Wadden lie immediately to the northwest of Lelystad. Construction started in 2016, and the first islands have already become important wildlife sites, with many species of birds coming to the islands during the breeding season.

Tourism

Lelystad has several tourist attractions, including: * The replica of the 17th-century ship '' Batavia'' at the Batavia Shipyard * Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet * Hanzestad Compagnie, a fleet of historical sailing ships * Lelystad Nature Park * National Aviation Theme Park Aviodrome * Modern architecture, for example the

Zilverparkkade Zilverparkkade is a street in Lelystad, Netherlands, containing a continuous row of wall-to-wall buildings constructed between 2002 and 2007. The name is used to refer to the group of buildings as a whole, as they were constructed together as an a ...

and Agora Theatre Lelystad hosts many one-day events like the Lelystad Airshow, the Water Festival, the National Old Timer Day, Lelystad Speedway, Architecture day and several sports events. On the Midland Circuit many motor, kart and stock car racing events and several autoclub meetings are held. On the coast there are several marinas.

Transport

Lelystad can be reached by air, water, and land.

Air

Lelystad Airport is the biggest

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation service ...

airport in the Netherlands. It is owned wholly by Schiphol Group. Lelystad Airport has undergone major expansion, including the construction of a passenger terminal for commercial flights, as well as an extension of the runway. The original plan for this airport was to become the main gateway for passengers into the country, to eleviate some of the pressure from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. In turn, Schiphol would be able to focus on its role as international hub for lay-overs. Although the expansion of Lelystad Airport has been finished, the airport has not yet opened for passengers due to various political reasons. As of 2022, the government has decided to delay the opening of the terminals with at least two years, and even then the opening will not be guaranteed.

Water

Lelystad has a small inland

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...

, several

marina A marina (from Spanish language, Spanish , Portuguese language, Portuguese and Italian language, Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a Dock (maritime), dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina dif ...

s, and a canal system which also functions to aid in managing the water levels in the rest of the

. The canal system connects to the

with a lock to the southwest of Lelystad, and connects the city and its industrial areas to all other towns and their respective industrial areas in the polder.

Rail

the Weesp–Lelystad railway (''Flevolijn'') extends south from Lelystad Centrum railway station and connects the city with

, and to the Randstad region beyond. The Lelystad–Zwolle railway (''Hanzelijn'') extends north from Lelystad and connects it with Dronten,

Kampen Campen or Kampen may refer to: Places Finland * Kampen, the Swedish name of Kamppi, a district in Helsinki Germany * Campen, Germany, a village by the Ems estuary, northwestern Germany, home of the Campen Lighthouse * Campen Castle, a part ...

and

Motorway

The A6 motorway runs along Lelystad on the eastern side of the city. There are two on-ramps connecting this motorway to Lelystad, each allowing traffic to travel northbound to

Emmeloord Emmeloord is the administrative centre of the municipality of Noordoostpolder, Flevoland, Netherlands. In 2019, it had a population of 26,055. Overview At the heart of the Noordoostpolder, where the three main drainage canals Lemstervaart, Ur ...

and the province of

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

, or southbound to

and the Randstad region.

Provincial roads

The N302 provincial road runs through Lelystad, this road connects Lelystad to the south-east with

Harderwijk Harderwijk (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and city of the Netherlands. It is served by the Harderwijk railway station. Its population centres are Harderwijk and Hierden. Harderwijk is on the western ...

and the province of

Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...

beyond, and across the Houtribdijk to

Enkhuizen Enkhuizen () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia. History Enkhuizen, like Hoorn and Amsterdam, was one of the harbor-towns of the VOC, from where overseas trade ...

and the province of North Holland beyond. The N307 and N309 extend to the east from Lelystad, both connecting to Dronten and beyond that to

in the province of Overijssel and Elburg in the province of

respectively.

Shield and flag

The honeycomb grid in the arms of Lelystad represents the dykes, built with six-edged concrete or basalt blocks. The colour gold indicates the high costs of the project of making the

. The centre shield is the arms of

Cornelis Lely. The sealions reflect the history of the land. In the flag, the

fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in th ...

(

lily ''Lilium'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. M ...

) again takes a central point, referring to the name Lely. The yellow background reflects the precious land, and the blue lines the dykes and waterways. The flag of the province is similarly adorned with the fleur-de-lis to commemorate Lely.

Notable residents

* Abraham Bueno de Mesquita (1918–2005) comedian and actor *

Nancy van Overveldt Nancy van Overveldt, born Nancy Wilhelmina Scheffer (February 2, 1930 - June 7, 2015) was a Dutch-Mexican artist. Van Overveldt worked with Mathías Goeritz, Pedro Friedeberg and Angela Gurría, among other ''modernistas solitarios'' from the G ...

(1930-2015), artist *

Hans Gruijters Johannes Petrus Adrianus "Hans" Gruijters (; 30 June 1931 – 17 April 2005) was a Dutch politician and co-founder of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and journalist. Biography Hans Gruijters studied psychology and political and social sciences a ...

(1931–2005) politician and journalist *

Hubert Fermina Hubert Geronimo Fermina (9 May 1948 – 25 May 2022)In Memoriam: Hubert Fermina
was a Dutc ...

(1948-2022) nurse and politician * Michiel van Hulten (born 1969) former politician and

MEP MEP may refer to: Organisations and politics * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, a political party in Sri Lanka * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (1956), a former political alliance in Sri Lanka * Maison européenne de la photographie, a photography centre ...

(1999–2004) *

Edsilia Rombley Edsilia Francisca Rombley (born 13 February 1978) is a Dutch singer and television presenter. She began her career in 1995, as a member of the Dutch girl group Dignity. Rombley began her solo career in 1996, after winning the Dutch talent show ''S ...

, (born 1978) singer * Rianne ten Haken (born 1986) a Dutch model IMDb Database
retrieved 8 June 2019

Sport

* Co Stompé, (born 1962) retired professional darts player *

Aron Winter Aron Winter (born 1 March 1967) is a Dutch former professional football midfielder and manager for Suriname. He has played for Ajax and Sparta Rotterdam in the Netherlands, for Italian sides Lazio and Inter Milan, and for the Netherlands nationa ...

, (born 1967) retired footballer and football manager * Ivan Sokolov, (born 1968) Bosnian chess grand-master * Chiel Warners, (born 1978) former decathlete * Charles Zwolsman Jr. (born 1979) racing car driver *

Karin Ruckstuhl Karin Nathalie Ruckstuhl (born 2 November 1980 in Baden, Switzerland) is a Dutch heptathlete. Biography Her first major championship was the 2002 European Athletics Championships, and she finished 13th in the heptathlon. She came close t ...

, (born 1980) former heptathlete * Guido van der Valk (born 1980) professional golfer *

Ruben Schaken Ruben Schaken (; born 3 April 1982) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a right winger. He has represented the Netherlands national team on seven occasions between 2012 and 2013, scoring two goals in the process. Career E ...

, (born 1982) football player * Niels de Ruiter (born 1983) former Dutch darts player, current director of the Dutch Darts Federation *

Thijs van Valkengoed Thijs Maarten van Valkengoed (born 6 July 1983 in Lelystad) is a breaststroke swimmer from the Netherlands, who competed for his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He trains toget ...

(born 1983), breaststroke swimmer, competed at the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

and the 2008 Summer Olympics *

Boy Waterman Boy Waterman (born 24 January 1984) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for PSV Eindhoven. He was part of the Netherlands under-21 national team which won the 2007 Under-21 European Football Championship. Club car ...

, (born 1984) football goalkeeper * Daan Brandenburg (born 1987), chess grandmaster *

Nathaniël Will Nathaniël Will (; born 16 February 1989) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a right back for SV Spakenburg in the Tweede Divisie. Career Before joining NEC, he played at Ajax. In June 2007, Will signed his first professional contract with Ajax. ...

(born 1989), footballer * Alex Vlaar (born 1996), a Bulgarian badminton player * Devyne Rensch (born 2003) football player for

AFC Ajax Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the ...

and the

Netherlands national football team The Netherlands national football team ( nl, Nederlands voetbalelftal or simply ''Het Nederlands elftal'') has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal ...

Twin city

Lelystad maintains

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the Scientific method, scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities betwe ...

with the

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

twin city of

Lelydorp Lelydorp is the capital city of Wanica District, located in Suriname. With a population of 18,663 (2012), it is the second largest city in Suriname, after Paramaribo. History Pad van Wanica For centuries the Pad van Wanica (path of Wanica) has ...

References

External links

*
Official website
{{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of Flevoland Populated places in Flevoland Populated places established in 1967 Provincial capitals of the Netherlands 1967 establishments in the Netherlands