40 years of Flevoland: Province full of life and movement

In 2026, the Province of Flevoland turns 40. And we are celebrating! We look back, and especially forward. Because that is who we are here. Proud of who we are: six municipalities with their own distinct character, but together one province. The Province of Flevoland was formed from the sea and built with courage. With our own hands, we create space to live, grow, dream, and act. This is where it happens; we remain pioneers with ideas, forever in motion. Just as we have been for 40 years. How well do you know the history of the Province of Flevoland?

Provincie Flevoland

Flevoland is a province in the Netherlands, bordering the center. The vast majority of the area was reclaimed from the eastern half of the former Zuiderzee through land reclamation. It is the youngest and, in terms of land area, the smallest of the twelve provinces. On January 1, 1986, Flevoland became the newest province of the Netherlands.

The province of Flevoland is characterized by vast open spaces and a rectangular layout. The province consists of two parts: the Noordoostpolder, reclaimed up to the mainland, and the Flevopolder, the largest artificial island in the world. To avoid confusion with the municipality of Noordoostpolder, the Noordoostpolder (the combination of this municipality and the municipality of Urk) is also referred to as Northern Flevoland.

The former islands of Urk and Schokland are located within the Noordoostpolder. The Flevopolder is connected to the mainland by bridges (including the Stichtse Brug, Hollandse Brug, and Ketelbrug), a railway tunnel (Drontermeertunnel), and a dike (Houtribdijk). On average, the province lies approximately 5 meters below sea level.

 

History of Flevoland

On June 14, 1918, the Zuiderzee Act was passed, deciding on the reclamation of the Zuiderzee. This was made possible by a turnaround in public opinion following the flood of 1916. The implementation of the plan by the Zuiderzee Works Department (see also Zuiderzee Works) took place in phases and lasted about three-quarters of a century:

• The dike to Wieringen in North Holland, which was still an island at the time, was completed in 1924;
• The Afsluitdijk, the last gap of which was closed in 1932. The Zuiderzee was thereby cut off from the North Sea and was henceforth called the IJsselmeer;
• Reclamation of the Wieringermeer (1930);

• First dike in preparation for the reclamation of the Noordoostpolder (NOP), from Urk to Lemsterland. With this, Urk said goodbye to its island status in 1939;
• Start of the draining of the Northeastern Polder (1940);
• In 1942, the polder was drained, and parts (consisting of water) of Lemsterland (Friesland), Blankenham, Blokzijl, Genemuiden, Kampen, and Kuinre (all in Overijssel) became the Northeastern Polder. A public body was established for the administration of the polder;
• From 1942: development of the polder. Allocation of the land, construction of the first residential centers. Emmeloord was the first residential center and the Northeastern Polder the first municipality, at that time still connected to the province of Overijssel together with the entire polder;

• 1950: Urk in North Holland becomes part of Overijssel;
• 1955: The Public Body Southern IJsselmeer Polders (OL ZIJP) is set;

• 1955: A part (consisting of water) of the Northeastern Polder (Ov.) becomes the OL ZIJP;
• Drainage of Eastern Flevoland (completed in 1957);
• 1962: The Northeastern Polder is henceforth called Noordoostpolder;
• 1962: Establishment of the municipality of Noordoostpolder as a municipality of Overijssel;
• Drainage of Southern Flevoland (completed in 1968);
• 1969: parts (consisting of water) of the former Zuiderzee municipalities become part of the OL ZIJP;

• 1972: The municipality of Dronten is formed from a part of the OL ZIJP;
• 1980: The municipality of Lelystad is formed from a part of the OL ZIJP;
• 1984: The municipality of Almere is formed from a part of the OL ZIJP;
• 1984: Zeewolde is formed from a part of Lelystad and the OL Zeeland Waterway;
• 1986: The province of Flevoland is established;

• 1986: The Overijssel municipalities of Urk and Noordoostpolder henceforth belong to Flevoland;
• 1996: The OL ZIJP is disbanded.

 

Rijkswaterstaat

The backbone of Rijkswaterstaat is formed by the ten regional directorates. They are responsible for the maintenance, management, and construction of the main infrastructure and for the practical implementation of policy. They ensure that the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management has a recognizable point of contact throughout the country. Supported by the six specialist services, they are the clients for the majority of projects. In this capacity, they maintain contacts with government authorities, interest groups, and the business community.

The formation of the province of Flevoland on January 1, 1984, and the Cabinet decision (September 12, 1986) not to construct the Markerwaard for the time being meant that the organizations of the Zuiderzee Works Directorate (ZZW) and the National Service for the IJsselmeer Polders had to be drastically downsized and restructured. Through the transfer of tasks to municipalities, the water board, and the province, the ZZW Directorate became a regular RWS Directorate as of April 1, 1986.

The Flevoland Directorate, established on January 1, 1989, was changed into the IJsselmeer Area Directorate on January 1, 1994:

 

Flag of Flevoland

The flag of Flevoland was formally adopted as the provincial flag by the Provincial Executive of Flevoland on February 15, 1989. It consists of two broad horizontal stripes in the colors blue and green, separated by a narrow yellow stripe. In the upper left corner is a white fleur-de-lis. The yellow stripe is narrower and undulates on the left side. This symbolizes the rolling, ripe cornfields, the blooming rapeseed, and arable farming. The green stripe represents the flat pasture landscape, and the blue stripe represents the water upon which the province was reclaimed. The heraldic white French lily comes from the family coat of arms of engineer Cornelis Lely. He was the founder of the Zuiderzee Works, which led to the creation of Flevoland.

The sixth sheet in the *Ik hou van Nederland* series focuses on the province of Flevoland. The sheet features images of an Urk fishing vessel, the provincial flag, and the Agora Theatre in Lelystad. The background of the sheet shows Konik horses in the Oostvaardersplassen.

 

Coat of arms of Flevoland

The official description of the coat of arms of the province of Flevoland reads as follows: Wavy divided azure and silver and over all a sea lion, wavy divided gold and azure, tongued and clawed gules and holding in its right forepaw a lily of silver. The shield surmounted by a golden crown of five leaves and four pearls and supported by two lions of gold, tongued and clawed gules.

The lily originates from the coat of arms of Cornelis Lely. The sea lion is a reference to the history of Flevoland and to the fact that Flevoland was reclaimed from the sea. The upper body of the sea lion is gold and the tail is azure.

 

40 years of Flevoland

In 2026, the Province of Flevoland turns 40. And we are celebrating! We look back, and especially forward. Because that is who we are here. Proud of who we are: six municipalities with their own distinct character, but together one province. The Province of Flevoland was formed from the sea and built with courage. With our own hands, we create space to live, grow, dream, and act. This is where it happens; we remain pioneers with ideas, forever in motion. Just as we have been for 40 years. We celebrate 40 years of the Province of Flevoland together, with you. Celebrate with us, show what Flevoland is today and what it will be like tomorrow. We Flevoland!

Will you celebrate with us? With a diverse program, the celebration of 40 years of the Province of Flevoland contributes to a positive image and a stronger connection with Flevoland, both within and outside the province. See the program on the website below.

The fifth sheet released for the *Kijk op Nederland* series focuses on Flevoland. The five stamps feature images of Wet Grasslands (Noorderplassen), a fishing village (Urk), Marker Wadden (Markermeer), The Green Cathedral (Almere), and the Houtribdijk flood barrier (Lelystad) in the province of Flevoland. The photographs were taken by Eindhoven photographer Karel Tomeï. The background of the sheet uses the same photograph as that of the fifth stamp, namely the Houtribdijk flood barrier in Lelystad. The province name and its location on the map of the Netherlands are included on the left side of the sheet. At the top edge of the sheet is a graphic representation of a fictional Dutch land division pattern. By coloring in sections, the letter E from the series title is made visible on top of the land division pattern. The title becomes visible when all stamp sheets are placed side by side.

 

Thanks to Peter Janssen and Henk van de Laak, both from www.frankeerstempel.nl, for the stamps in this blog.

 

<strong> More info: </strong>

40 years of Flevoland: https://www.flevoland.nl/dossiers/40-jaar-flevoland

Tourism Flevoland: https://www.inflevoland.nl/

Canon of Flevoland: https://www.canonvannederland.nl/nl/flevoland/flevoland

Previous Flevoland blogs: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/flevoland/