Lelystad

Lelystad is built on the seabed of the former Zuiderzee. About 6,500 years ago, this wetland was above high tide level and inhabited; the Netherlands have steadily subsided since. Near Lelystad at Swifterbant, the oldest human skeletons in Western Europe were discovered. Due to rising water levels and storms, the peatlands were washed away, and the Lacus Flevo (in Roman times) grew to be the Almere (Middle Ages) and became the Zuiderzee. The Zuiderzee (Southern Sea) was the main transport route from Amsterdam to the North Sea and the Hanseatic League cities. Due to the many shipwrecks in Flevoland, Lelystad now houses the National Centre for Maritime History, with a museum and the shipyard that has built the Batavia replica.

File:Lelystad sunset.jpg

After the Second World War the Zuiderzee Works continued, constructing the polder of Eastern Flevoland. In 1950 work commenced on several construction islands in the middle of the IJsselmeer. Lelystad-Haven was the largest island, and its wooden barracks housed a community of dyke-builders. In 1955 they reached the mainland, which made it possible to drive to Lelystad by car. One of the three pumping stations, which drained the polder in June 1957, was the diesel-powered Wortman in Lelystad-Haven. Until 1967 the only inhabitants of Lelystad were technical engineers and laborers and superintendents, living on the former construction island.

Source:{{Cite web |date=2023-06-01 |title=Gemeente Lelystad in cijfers en grafieken (update 2023!) |url=https://allecijfers.nl/gemeente/lelystad/ |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=AlleCijfers.nl |language=nl-NL}}

• 65% of the population was of Dutch background (two parents born in the Netherlands)
• 23% was of non-Western migration background (one or two parents born in a non-Western country)
• 12% was of Western migration background (one or two parents born in a Western country)

Lelystad has a large population of Surinamese origin (5,225); most residents of a non-Western background live in the east of the city.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-27 |title=Ranglijst: autochtoon en migratieachtergrond van de inwoners per wijk in de gemeente Lelystad (update 2023!)|url=https://allecijfers.nl/ranglijst/autochtoon-en-migratieachtergrond-per-wijk-in-de-gemeente-lelystad/ |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=AlleCijfers.nl |language=nl-NL}} Lelystad also has significant Moroccan (2,615) and Turkish (2,278) communities, most of whom reside in the northeastern part of the city. There were 2,059 residents with an Antillean background.

{{Weather box|width=auto

|location = Lelystad (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1990−present)

|single line = Y

|metric first = Y

|collapsed = Y

|Jan record high C = 14.3

|Feb record high C = 18.8

|Mar record high C = 23.2

|Apr record high C = 29.6

|May record high C = 32.2

|Jun record high C = 33.1

|Jul record high C = 37.5

|Aug record high C = 34.7

|Sep record high C = 32.0

|Oct record high C = 26.0

|Nov record high C = 19.9

|Dec record high C = 14.6

|Jan record low C = -16.6

|Feb record low C = -22.9

|Mar record low C = -17.8

|Apr record low C = -6.4

|May record low C = -1.6

|Jun record low C = 1.8

|Jul record low C = 5.0

|Aug record low C = 4.2

|Sep record low C = 2.4

|Oct record low C = -4.8

|Nov record low C = -8.3

|Dec record low C = -16.9

|Jan high C = 5.7

|Feb high C = 6.5

|Mar high C = 10.0

|Apr high C = 14.4

|May high C = 18.0

|Jun high C = 20.4

|Jul high C = 22.6

|Aug high C = 22.5

|Sep high C = 19.1

|Oct high C = 14.4

|Nov high C = 9.5

|Dec high C = 6.2

|year high C = 14.1

|Jan mean C = 3.2

|Feb mean C = 3.5

|Mar mean C = 6.0

|Apr mean C = 9.5

|May mean C = 13.2

|Jun mean C = 15.8

|Jul mean C = 17.8

|Aug mean C = 17.6

|Sep mean C = 14.6

|Oct mean C = 10.7

|Nov mean C = 6.8

|Dec mean C = 3.9

|year mean C = 10.2

|Jan low C = 0.6

|Feb low C = 0.4

|Mar low C = 2.0

|Apr low C = 4.3

|May low C = 8.0

|Jun low C = 10.8

|Jul low C = 12.7

|Aug low C = 12.4

|Sep low C = 10.1

|Oct low C = 6.9

|Nov low C = 3.9

|Dec low C = 1.4

|year low C = 6.1

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 67.7

|Feb precipitation mm = 57.2

|Mar precipitation mm = 55.1

|Apr precipitation mm = 42.3

|May precipitation mm = 57.2

|Jun precipitation mm = 67.0

|Jul precipitation mm = 91.4

|Aug precipitation mm = 92.1

|Sep precipitation mm = 74.2

|Oct precipitation mm = 76.3

|Nov precipitation mm = 69.7

|Dec precipitation mm = 73.9

|year precipitation mm = 824.1

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days =

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|unit snow days = 1 cm

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|Jan humidity = 88.9

|Feb humidity = 86.5

|Mar humidity = 82.0

|Apr humidity = 76.1

|May humidity = 75.3

|Jun humidity = 78.0

|Jul humidity = 79.6

|Aug humidity = 80.8

|Sep humidity = 84.4

|Oct humidity = 87.3

|Nov humidity = 90.4

|Dec humidity = 90.5

|year humidity = 83.3

|Jan sun = 66.6

|Feb sun = 95.6

|Mar sun = 146.2

|Apr sun = 194.5

|May sun = 227.1

|Jun sun = 213.3

|Jul sun = 222.5

|Aug sun = 200.9

|Sep sun = 156.6

|Oct sun = 122.0

|Nov sun = 68.8

|Dec sun = 57.0

|year sun = 1771.1

|Jan percentsun = 25.9

|Feb percentsun = 34.1

|Mar percentsun = 39.4

|Apr percentsun = 46.6

|May percentsun = 46.6

|Jun percentsun = 42.5

|Jul percentsun = 44.1

|Aug percentsun = 44.0

|Sep percentsun = 41.0

|Oct percentsun = 36.9

|Nov percentsun = 26.0

|Dec percentsun = 23.7

|year percentsun =37.6

|source 1 = Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute{{cite web

| url = https://weerstatistieken.nl/lelystad

| title = Weerstatistieken Lelystad

| publisher = Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute

| access-date = June 24, 2022}}{{cite web

| url = https://www.knmi.nl/klimaat-viewer/grafieken-tabellen/meteorologische-stations/stations-maand/stations-maand_1991-2020

|title=Klimaatviewer 1991-2020

| publisher = Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute

| access-date = June 24, 2022}}}}

File:Lelystad-plaats-OpenTopo.jpg

Lelystad is the largest municipality in the Netherlands in area, but a large part of that area is water: Markermeer and IJsselmeer. Another major area is the internationally famous nature park of Oostvaardersplassen, which arose naturally when the polder of South Flevoland was drained. Lelystad is also surrounded by a square of woodlands and parks and flat farmland. The importance of the landscape and sky is emphasized by several pieces of land art: engineers' work and works such as the Observatorium by Robert Morris (see below).

The artificial islands of Marker Wadden lie immediately to the northwest of Lelystad. Construction started in 2016, and the first islands have already become important wildlife sites, with many species of birds coming to the islands during the breeding season.

Lelystad has several tourist attractions, including:

• The replica of the 17th-century ship Batavia at the Batavia Shipyard
• Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet
• Hanzestad Compagnie, a fleet of historical sailing ships
• Lelystad Nature Park
• National Aviation Theme Park Aviodrome
• Modern architecture, for example the Zilverparkkade and Agora Theatre

Lelystad hosts many one-day events like the Lelystad Airshow, the Water Festival, the National Old Timer Day, Lelystad Speedway, Architecture day and several sports events. On the Midland Circuit many motor, kart and stock car racing events and several autoclub meetings are held. On the coast there are several marinas.

File:Lelystad Railway Bus Station.jpg]]

Lelystad can be reached by air, water, and land.

Lelystad Airport is the biggest general aviation airport in the Netherlands. It is owned wholly by Schiphol Group. Lelystad Airport has undergone major expansion, including the construction of a passenger terminal for commercial flights, as well as an extension of the runway. The original plan for this airport was to become the main gateway for passengers into the country, to alleviate some of the pressure from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. In turn, Schiphol would be able to focus on its role as international hub for lay-overs. Although the expansion of Lelystad Airport has been finished, the airport has not yet opened for passengers due to various political reasons. As of 2022, the government has decided to delay the opening of the terminals with at least two years, and even then the opening will not be guaranteed.{{Cite web| title = Kabinet stelt besluit opening Lelystad Airport met twee jaar uit| work = Algemeen Dagblad| access-date = 2023-11-18| date = 2022-06-23| url = https://www.ad.nl/politiek/kabinet-stelt-besluit-opening-lelystad-airport-met-twee-jaar-uit~ae1b4910/| language = nl}}

Lelystad has a small inland port, several marinas, and a canal system which also functions to aid in managing the water levels in the rest of the polder. The canal system connects to the Markermeer with a lock to the southwest of Lelystad, and connects the city and its industrial areas to all other towns and their respective industrial areas in the polder.

the Weesp–Lelystad railway (Flevolijn) extends south from Lelystad Centrum railway station and connects the city with Almere, and to the Randstad region beyond. The Lelystad–Zwolle railway (Hanzelijn) extends north from Lelystad and connects it with Dronten, Kampen and Zwolle.

The A6 motorway runs along Lelystad on the eastern side of the city. There are three on-ramps connecting this motorway to Lelystad, allowing traffic to travel northbound to Emmeloord and the province of Friesland, or southbound to Almere and the Randstad region.

The N302 provincial road connects Lelystad to the south-east with Harderwijk and the province of Gelderland beyond. The N307 connects Lelystad across the Houtribdijk to Enkhuizen and the province of North Holland beyond, and to Dronten and beyond that to Kampen in the province of Overijssel. The N309 connects Lelystad to Dronten and beyond that to Elburg in the province of Gelderland.

The honeycomb grid in the arms of Lelystad represents the dykes, built with six-edged concrete or basalt blocks. The colour gold indicates the high costs of the project of making the polder. The centre shield is the arms of engineer Cornelis Lely. The sealions reflect the history of the land.

In the flag, the fleur-de-lis (lily) again takes a central point, referring to the name Lely. The yellow background reflects the precious land, and the blue lines the dykes and waterways. The flag of the province is similarly adorned with the fleur-de-lis to commemorate Lely.

File:BuenodeMesquita.jpg

• Abraham Bueno de Mesquita (1918–2005) comedian and actor[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0119215/ IMDb Database] retrieved 8 June 2019
• Nancy van Overveldt (1930-2015), artist
• Hans Gruijters (1931–2005), politician and journalist
• Hubert Fermina (1948-2022), nurse and politician
• Gylan Kain (1942-2024), American poet and playwright
• Michiel van Hulten (born 1969), former politician and MEP (1999–2004)
• Edsilia Rombley (born 1978), singer[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1488114/ IMDb Database] retrieved 8 June 2019
• Rianne ten Haken (born 1986), a Dutch model[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7826463/ IMDb Database] retrieved 8 June 2019

File:DaanBrandenburg.jpg

• Co Stompé (born 1962), retired professional darts player
• Aron Winter (born 1967), retired footballer and football manager
• Ivan Sokolov (born 1968), Dutch-Bosnian chess grandmaster
• Chiel Warners (born 1978), former decathlete
• Charles Zwolsman Jr. (born 1979), racing car driver
• Karin Ruckstuhl (born 1980), former heptathlete
• Guido van der Valk (born 1980), professional golfer
• Ruben Schaken (born 1982), football player
• Niels de Ruiter (born 1983), former darts player, current director of the Dutch Darts Federation
• Thijs van Valkengoed (born 1983), breaststroke swimmer, competed at the 2004 and the 2008 Summer Olympics
• Boy Waterman (born 1984), football goalkeeper
• Daan Brandenburg (born 1987), chess grandmaster
• Nathaniël Will (born 1989), footballer
• Benjamin Bok (born 1995), chess grandmaster
• Alex Vlaar (born 1996), Dutch-Bulgarian badminton player
• Devyne Rensch (born 2003), football player for AFC Ajax and the Netherlands national football team

Lelystad maintains international relations with the Suriname twin city of Lelydorp.

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{commons category}}

• {{wikivoyage-inline|Lelystad}}
• [http://www.lelystad.nl Official website]

{{Geographic location

|Centre = Lelystad

|North = IJsselmeer

|East = Dronten

|South = Zeewolde

|Southwest = Almere

|West = Markermeer

}}

{{Flevoland Province}}

{{Dutch capital cities}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in the Netherlands

Category:Municipalities of Flevoland

Category:Populated places in Flevoland

Category:Populated places established in 1967

Category:Provincial capitals of the Netherlands

Category:1967 establishments in the Netherlands