Zeewolde
Encyclopedia
Zeewolde is a municipality
and a town in the Flevoland
province in the central Netherlands
. It has a population of approximately 20,000. 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 Horsterwold. The area to the west is principally agricultural.
Zeewolde is known for its landscape and nature art; the most well-known art work is Sea Level by Richard Serra
, located in the Landschapspark De Wetering. Edinburgh Rugby players and brothers Tim
and Sep Visser
come from Zeewolde.
In the wood Hulkesteinse Bos there is the nudist resort Flevo-Natuur, with recreation
bungalow
s, a camp site, and the possibility of day recreation.
Zeewolde's first inhabitants were the so-called 'pioneers', moving in from the 'old land' to the newly created polder
in 1979. They were mostly farmers and in the beginning stages deprived of amenities such as electricity
or tap water
. The planned village was then mostly meant to provide services to the neighbouring farmers.
Alongside the farmers, two holiday resorts 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 streekplan (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 municipality
in its own right. On 23 February 1984, the official first inhabitant of the village of Zeewolde was handed the keys of his house.
, Nijkerk
and the stations in Almere
.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and a town in the Flevoland
Flevoland
Flevoland is a province of the Netherlands. Located in the centre of the country, at the location of the former Zuiderzee, the province was established on January 1, 1986; the twelfth province of the country, with Lelystad as its capital...
province in the central Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It has a population of approximately 20,000. 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 Horsterwold. The area to the west is principally agricultural.
Zeewolde is known for its landscape and nature art; the most well-known art work is Sea Level by Richard Serra
Richard Serra
Richard Serra is an American minimalist sculptor and video artist known for working with large-scale assemblies of sheet metal. Serra was involved in the Process Art Movement.-Early life and education:...
, located in the Landschapspark De Wetering. Edinburgh Rugby players and brothers Tim
Tim Visser
Tim Visser is a Dutch rugby union player currently playing on the wing for Edinburgh Rugby in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup. He is the first Dutch rugby player to play professionally.-Early career:...
and Sep Visser
Sep Visser
Sep Visser is a Dutch rugby union player currently playing on the wing for Boroughmuir RFC and Edinburgh Rugby.-Early career:He joined the Newcastle Falcons Academy as a teenager, following his brother Tim Visser...
come from Zeewolde.
In the wood Hulkesteinse Bos there is the nudist resort Flevo-Natuur, with recreation
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 enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
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 administrated by the Openbaar Lichaam Zuidelijke IJsselmeerpolders (OLZIJ) (Public Body of Southern IJsselmeer Polders), 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
Polder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices...
in 1979. They were mostly farmers and in the beginning stages deprived of amenities such as electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
or tap water
Tap water
Tap water is a principal component of "indoor plumbing", which became available in urban areas of the developed world during the last quarter of the 19th century, and common during the mid-20th century...
. The planned village was then mostly meant to provide services to the neighbouring farmers.
Alongside the farmers, two holiday resorts 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 streekplan (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 municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in its own right. On 23 February 1984, the official first inhabitant of the village of Zeewolde was handed the keys of his house.
Transportation
There are no railway stations in the municipality, but the nearest stations are HarderwijkHarderwijk railway station
Harderwijk is a railway station located in Harderwijk, The Netherlands. The station was opened on 20 August 1863 and is located on the Amersfoort–Zwolle section of the Utrecht–Kampen railway...
, Nijkerk
Nijkerk railway station
Nijkerk is a railway station located in Nijkerk, The Netherlands. The station was opened on 20 August 1863 and is located on the Utrecht–Kampen railway . The services are operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen. From 1903 Nijkerk was also the northern terminus of the Nijkerk–Ede-Wageningen railway...
and the stations in Almere
Almere
Almere is a planned city and municipality in the province of Flevoland, the Netherlands, bordering Lelystad and Zeewolde. The municipality of Almere comprises the districts Almere Stad, Almere Haven, Almere Buiten, Almere Hout, Almere Poort and Almere Pampus .Almere is the youngest city in the...
.