Zeewolde () 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 town in the

Flevoland Flevoland () is the twelfth and newest 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 ...

province in the central

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. It has a population of approximately 24,000 (2024). It is situated in the polder of Flevoland with the small lake called the Wolderwijd to the east. To the south is a large deciduous forest called the . The area to the west is principally agricultural. Zeewolde is known for its landscape and nature art. The best-known art work is ''Sea Level'' by

Richard Serra Richard Serra (November 2, 1938 – March 26, 2024) was an American artist known for his large-scale Abstract art, abstract sculptures made for Site-specific art, site-specific landscape, urban, and Architecture, architectural settings, a ...

, located in the De Wetering landscape park. In the Hulkesteinse forest there is the

naturist resort A naturist resort or nudist resort is an establishment that provides accommodation (or at least camping space) and other amenities for guests in a context where they are invited to practice naturism – that is, a lifestyle of non-sexual socia ...

, with

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...

bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...

s, a camp site, and the possibility of day recreation.

History

The municipality of Zeewolde was founded in 1984 and is therefore one of the youngest in the Netherlands. Before 1984, the area was administered by the ' (OLZIJ) (), founded by the Dutch national government after the province of Flevoland was created. The name 'Zeewolde' was always meant to be used during the planning stages, but on various locations. Zeewolde's first inhabitants were the so-called 'pioneers', moving in from the 'old land' to the newly created

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

in 1979. They were mostly farmers and in the beginning stages deprived of amenities such as

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

tap water Tap water (also known as running water, piped water or municipal water) is water supplied through a Tap (valve), tap, a water dispenser valve. In many countries, tap water usually has the quality of drinking water. Tap water is commonly used f ...

. The planned village was then mostly meant to provide services to the neighbouring farmers. Alongside the farmers, two

holiday resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...

s were founded in the area. In August 1980, the Zeewolde advisory board, headed by Han Lammers who was at the time the head of the OLZIJ, met for the first time. In February 1982, municipal elections were held and the first ' (Structural plan) was drawn, envisaging the village to grow to 15.000 inhabitants. The actual village itself was started in 1983, after which in 1984 Zeewolde became a

in its own right. On 23 February 1984, the official first inhabitant of the village of Zeewolde was handed the keys of his house. In August 2024 it was reported that the remnants of Hulkenstein Castle might have been found in a lake near Zeewolde.

Transportation

There are no railway stations in the municipality, but the nearest stations are

Harderwijk Harderwijk (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a 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 boundary of the Veluwe. The south ...

Nijkerk Nijkerk (; Dutch Low Saxon: ''Niekark'') is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city located in the middle of the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. Population centres Some people state that ''Groot Corlaer'' is a ...

and the stations in

Almere Almere () is a Planned community, planned List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Flevoland, Netherlands across the IJmeer fro ...

. There are bus connections to the stations in Harderwijk, Nijkerk and

Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht, Netherlands. As of 31 January 2023, the municipality had ...

, and to the central station in Almere.

Notable people

* Tom Viezee (born 1950) Christian minister and former politician, Mayor of Zeewolde 1999-2004 * Geke Faber (born 1952) politician, Mayor of Zeewolde 1990-1998 * Tim Visser (born 1987 in Zeewolde) rugby union player who plays for the Scotland national team * Sabrina van der Donk (born 1988 in Zeewolde) model who participated in the

Miss Earth 2006 Miss Earth 2006 was the sixth edition of the Miss Earth pageant, held at the grounds of the National Museum of the Philippines in Manila, Philippines, on 26 November 2006. At the end of the event, Alexandra Braun of Venezuela crowned Hil Hern� ...

* Sep Visser (born 1990 in Zeewolde) rugby union player with

Edinburgh Rugby Edinburgh Rugby (formerly Edinburgh Reivers, Edinburgh Gunners) is one of the two professional rugby union teams from Scotland. The club competes in the United Rugby Championship, along with the Glasgow Warriors, its oldest rival. Edinburgh play ...

Gallery

File:Overzicht toren van kerkencentrum Open Haven gezien vanaf plein - Zeewolde - 20410312 - RCE.jpg, View of tower of Open Haven church center as seen from square File:Harderwold 2014.jpg, Harderwold File:Zeewolde-haven.jpg, Zeewolde harbor File:IMG 0612 - Flickr - Jan Joris Vereijken.jpg, Shortwave transmitter Flevo

References

External links

* {{Authority control Municipalities of Flevoland Populated places in Flevoland