Lelystad

A city on the seabed

A hundred years ago, the place where Lelystad now stands was still water. After the floods of 1916, the Netherlands decided to close off the Zuiderzee, a large inland sea, and to drain large parts of it. The plan came from engineer and minister Cornelis Lely (1854–1929). The Afsluitdijk, the great enclosure dam, was completed in 1932. Then came the polders: first the Noordoostpolder, then Eastern Flevoland (dry in 1957) and Southern Flevoland (1968).

Lelystad was designed as the capital of the new polders and named after Lely. The first residents arrived in 1967. Only in 1980 did Lelystad become an ordinary municipality, and in 1986 Flevoland became the twelfth province, with Lelystad as its capital. Today more than 80,000 people live here, a few metres below sea level.

King’s Day 2027 in Lelystad

King’s Day 2027 is a double celebration: the King turns 60, and Lelystad turns 60. It is the third time a royal birthday has been celebrated in Flevoland. In 1994 Queen Beatrix visited the Noordoostpolder and Urk, and in 2006 Almere and Zeewolde. For King Willem-Alexander it is the first time in Flevoland.

What is already known about the day itself can be found on the Programme page.

Bataviahaven

On the waterfront, on the west side of the city, several of Lelystad’s best-known sights are close together.

Batavialand is a museum about living with water and the history of Flevoland, with its own shipyard. Here, between 1985 and 1995, the Batavia was built: a replica of a 1628 ship of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The ship is currently being moved onto land and is temporarily closed to visitors. Check the Batavialand website before your visit.

Next to the museum is Batavia Stad, an outlet centre with about a hundred shops. At the end of the dyke sits Exposure, a sculpture more than 25 metres tall by British artist Antony Gormley. Locals call it the Crouching Man.

The town centre

The centre is right next to Lelystad Centrum station. Its most striking building is the orange Agora Theatre (2007) by architects UNStudio.

Aviodrome

The Aviodrome at Lelystad Airport is the national aviation museum. You walk among historic aircraft, from the earliest planes to large airliners.

Nature: Nieuw Land National Park

Lelystad is surrounded by Nieuw Land National Park. The park was established in 2018 and lies entirely on the former seabed and in the waters of the Markermeer lake.

• The Oostvaardersplassen is a large wetland between Lelystad and Almere. It is home to Konik horses, red deer and huge numbers of birds, including the white-tailed eagle. From the visitor centre you can go for a walk or join an excursion.
• The Markerwadden are new islands in the Markermeer, built to restore nature in the lake. You can walk and watch birds there. In season, a boat sails from Lelystad.

In the area

• Walibi Holland in Biddinghuizen is a large theme park, about 25 minutes by car.
• Urk was an island in the Zuiderzee until 1939. Today it is a fishing village with a lighthouse and a harbour full of fishing boats.
• Schokland in the Noordoostpolder is a former island and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Across the Houtribdijk you drive straight through the water to Enkhuizen, home of the open-air Zuiderzee Museum.

Sources

• Visit Lelystad: King’s Day 2027 (Dutch)
• Omroep Flevoland: King’s Day April 2027 may cost up to four million euros (Dutch)
• Batavialand
• Nieuw Land National Park