The polder area of Flevoland

Flevoland, Holland’s youngest province, was created in the 20th century through the largest land reclamation project of all time. Where once there was only water, there is now wonderful nature, culture and plenty of attractions.

Read about the largest land reclamation project in history and discover how Flevoland was born.
Visit Batavialand and experience how the Dutch learned to control the water.
Cycle through the Flevopolder and visit the former islands of Schokland and Urk.

From Zuiderzee to IJsselmeer

The reclamation project, which began in 1924 and led to the creation of IJsselmeer lake, was a tremendous project. First, the 2.5 kilometre long dike Amsteldiepdijk was constructed between the mainland of North Holland and the island of Wieringen, then the Afsluitdijk dike was built. In 1932 it was completed, and the Zuiderzee (Southern Sea) had become IJsselmeer lake.

The new province of Flevoland

In the decades that followed, more and more areas were reclaimed. The Noordoostpolder was created first, then the islands of Urk and Schokland were connected to the mainland. Only then did work start on reclaiming Eastern Flevoland to create an outlet for the overpopulated Randstad conurbation. In this way, bit by bit, the 12th province of Holland, Flevoland, was born.

Sunken treasure

A special aspect of the reclamation of Flevoland is the fact that hundreds of shipwrecks were uncovered over the course of the project. The former Zuiderzee had always seen much ship traffic, and many of the ships that were lost in those days were now rediscovered. As a result, Flevoland is one of the largest “dry” ship graveyards in the world. No fewer than 435 shipwrecks together containing almost 33,000 objects were found, dating from between 1200 and 1900.

Batavialand

If you wish to get a good idea of this unique land reclamation process, Batavialand is a great place to visit! A large collection of objects, documents, maps, videos, machines and tools lets you discover the history of this unique projects. For children, there are presentations in which they can imagine themselves dike builders, archaeologists or lock keepers and learn how the Dutch have been controlling the waters for centuries.

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Living on and with the water

Dutch culture is closely interwoven with the water. Discover the rich history, meet local and international water heroes, and travel along to the most iconic places. Immerse yourself in the story of the Netherlands, Land of Water.