The Dutch made province, Flevoland

For over 2000 years the Dutch have been dedicated to both defending their land from water and reclaiming it. The first settlers in the Netherlands, the Frisians, began constructing terpen (dikes) to safeguard their land from the North Sea. In 1287, the terpens failed, causing a flood and the creation of the new Zuiderzee bay over the previous farmland.

The Dutch persevered for centuries, steadily pushing back the waters of the Zuiderzee. They constructed dikes and reclaimed of land, known as polders, by pumping out the water after the dikes were built.

A flood in 1916, gave the Dutch the inspiration to close the Zuiderzee, the inland sea. The work was started in 1920 with building of a dike that closed of the shallow bay in northeast Netherlands. Over the years, the bay was drained in stages in order to create Flevoland, the land of polders. Flevopolder, referred to as the land combined by two polders that were created in the 1950s and 1960s, is separated by a dike and is kept dry operating diesel and electric pumps. If one part of the Flevopolder gets flooded, the other part will be protected by the dike.

Architects thoughtfully maintained a water channel between the new reclaimed land and the old coastline, ensuring access to the sea. Unlike the other islands around the world, the Flevopolder has not been elevated above sea level.

Flevoland, was established in 1986, with Lelystad as capital of this 12th province. Thanks to the massive earthworks, by draining lakes and seas Flevoland was created, making the largest artificial island in the world. 

Flevoland has many recreational attractions, whether you want to have fun or an adrenaline rush, if you are interested in history or are more into shopping. You can even explore loads of great nature reserves. There is enough to do so you can easily fill up more than one day. Go to www.visitflevoland.nl for more.