Dronten is one of the six municipalities making up the province of Flevoland in the Netherlands. It encompasses the namesake town and two villages, Swifterbant and Biddinghuizen, as well as vast expanses of agricultural fields and plains left to nature.
Like much of the rest of Flevoland, Dronten does not have a reputation as a tourist destination, but still has quite a bit to offer to diverse groups of tourists. Families with children can have a good time at Walibi Holland in Biddinghuizen, while those interested in the history of mankind will surely want to learn more of the prehistoric Swifterbant culture.
The part of the Flevopolder that is now Dronten was the first to be reclaimed from IJsselmeer, back in late 1950s. Immediately, plans for the new municipality were laid out, which provided for loose population density. Drawing from the experiences of the Noordoostpolder, it was decided that there should be three population centres within the province: the larger town of Dronten and two villages, named after settlements from early Middle Ages that were roughly co-located - Swifterbant and Biddinghuizen.
As the Flevopolder was drained, important historic and archeological artifacts were unearthed from beneath what was once the bed of the lake, proving that the area that historically alternated between being land or water had settlements even much earlier than was originally thought. It was then established that those belong to what later became called the Swifterbant culture, which inhabited the territories of modern-day Netherlands between about 5300 and 3400 BC. Other artifacts of this culture were also found throughout neighbouring regions, but the name stuck.
In the west of Flevoland, which is closer to the populous Randstad, the cities of Lelystad and Almere were later founded to become the administrative and population centres of the province. Dronten thus remained a relatively less important and more rural province, with less hustle and bustle or striking architecture, but more local charm.
The typical Dutch countryside in overdrive, but with the power-generating windmills rather than the traditional water-pumping ones.
- Walibi Holland. late March to Late October. Theme parks with roller coasters and other thrill rides. Highlights include the Goliath, the highest, longest and tallest steel coaster in the Benelux, with max speed of 106 km/h, and the Xpress, a coaster which aunches passengers from 0 to 90 km/h in just under 2.8 seconds and features 3 loops. around €30.
- Play golf at Shortgolf Switerbant
- Go ice skating at FlevOnice in Biddinghuizen
- ... or inline skating over the tarmac track at Leisure World in Dronten
Walibi Holland. late March to Late October. Theme parks with roller coasters and other thrill rides. Highlights include the Goliath, the highest, longest and tallest steel coaster in the Benelux, with max speed of 106 km/h, and the Xpress, a coaster which aunches passengers from 0 to 90 km/h in just under 2.8 seconds and features 3 loops. around €30.
Play golf at Shortgolf Switerbant
Go ice skating at FlevOnice in Biddinghuizen
... or inline skating over the tarmac track at Leisure World in Dronten
You may come across local farm produce sold in stores.
For the size of the municipality, there are surprisingly many restaurants, bars and cafes in Dronten and in Biddinghuizen.
You should have no problems with mobile phone coverage, both for making calls, sending text messages or connecting to the Internet.
If you are already in Flevoland, you may want to visit its other municipalities:
- Lelystad offers more family-friendly attractions and can be reached easily by train
- Noordoostpolder and Urk offer more rural landscapes and options to explore the historic heritage of the pre-reclamation period
The provinces of Overijssel and Gelderland are separated by only a thin body of water from Dronten, so you may want to cross the bridge to either and explore.
And, as in any place in the Netherlands, all the rest of the country is not really far away. Simply find your destination on the map and ask 9292.nl how to get there by public transportation.