Dronten

Dronten (pronunciation ) is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Flevoland. It had a population of 40,815 in 2019.

Dronten
Dronten bell tower
Flag
Coat of arms
Location in Flevoland
Coordinates: 52°31′N 5°43′E
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceFlevoland
Established1 January 1972
Government
  BodyMunicipal council
  MayorJean Paul Gebben (VVD)
Area
  Total423.89 km2 (163.66 sq mi)
  Land333.57 km2 (128.79 sq mi)
  Water90.32 km2 (34.87 sq mi)
Elevation−2 m (−7 ft)
Population
 (January 2019)[3]
  Total40,815
  Density122/km2 (320/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Drontenaar
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
8250–8259
Area code0321
Websitewww.dronten.nl

History

Plans for the municipality of Dronten were made in the early half of the 1950s; real plans for the town of Dronten (the municipality's center) were revealed in 1958.

The foundations for the town were laid in 1960. Right from the start there was a discussion whether Dronten was to become a town or a city. The first plans assumed 15,000 inhabitants, while later plans foresaw a growth to 30,000 inhabitants. The first plans for the municipality assumed ten smaller villages situated around the central town (in this case, Dronten). The number of villages was reduced because of increased motorized traffic and experiences gained in developing the Noordoostpolder, where a similar municipality had already been built. Eventually, it was decided that there were to be two smaller villages (Biddinghuizen and Swifterbant) and one larger town (Dronten).

On 1 January 1972, Dronten was given its official name.

In 1995, Dronten hosted in Biddinghuizen the 18th World Scout Jamboree. 28,960 Scouts and staff members from 166 countries and territories participated this event.

Population centers

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of Dronten (town), March 2014.

Transportation

Railway station Dronten

Dronten has a railway station on the Lelystad-Zwolle railway.

The majority of velomobile manufacturers in the world are based in Dronten. They include Alligt, velomobiel.nl and InterCityBike.

Entertainment

Biddinghuizen contains the theme park Walibi Holland.

Sister city relations

Notable people

Beitske Visser, 2012

References

  1. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  2. "Postcodetool for 8251ER". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  3. "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  4. "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.