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The history of Flevoland
Despite the fact that Flevoland is newly developed land, the area itself has a very rich history. What used to be water has been transformed into an attractive residential and recreational area with a growing number of inhabitants. But much happened before that!
The Zuider Zee constituted a considerable threat to the surrounding areas. Increasingly often, storm tides led to dangerous circumstances in which thousands of people lost their lives; this was sufficient reason to drain the Zuider Zee. A start was made in 1924 when the 2.5-kilometre long Amsteldiepdijk between the mainland of Noord-Holland and the island of Wieringen was closed. Then the IJsselmeer Dam was built, a dyke between Wieringen and the Friesland mainland. Creating a dyke in the sea seemed an impossible job , but it became fact in 1932. A monument was erected on the place where the dyke was closed, which states the following: ‘A nation that lives, builds on its future’. The area was reclaimed bit by bit, eventually resulting in a new Dutch province: Flevoland. The museum Nieuw Land in Lelystad has an extensive collection of objects, documents, maps, film material, instruments and tools to tell the story of the most important reclamation project ever.
