Zeewolde

History

The municipality of Zeewolde was founded in 1984 and is therefore one of the youngest in the Netherlands. Before 1984, the area was administered by the (OLZIJ) (), 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 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 (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. In August 2024 it was reported that the remnants of Hulkenstein Castle might have been found in a lake near Zeewolde.