From Harderwijk to Lelystad

When the Zuiderzee was drained, the Netherlands gained an extra province that is approximately five meters below sea level: Flevoland. The province is mainly characterized by large open spaces and a sleek layout, which makes the youngest province in the Netherlands appear "more modern" than the other provinces. Flevoland consists of two parts, the Noordoostpolder and the largest artificial island in the world, the Flevopolder. The capital of Flevoland is of course Lelystad. The first residents came here around 1967 and in 1980 Lelystad officially became a municipality. Lelystad is named after Cornelis Lely, the spiritual father of the Zuiderzee Works. In the 1980s, Lelystad suffered from a significant exodus when Almere was built, which was more favorable compared to Amsterdam and Het Gooi. A period of vacancy and impoverishment followed, until things changed in the 1990s. The city has been growing again in recent years and is expanding considerably with new construction. Lelystad has a number of beautiful sights such as a replica of the VOC ship Batavia, Batavia City, Batavia harbour, Aviodrome aviation centre, Lelystad Nature Park and the Lely Column. At Profile Wigger, located at the start and end point of the cycling tour in Harderwijk, you can use your bicycle discount pass to receive a 10 euro discount on maintenance or repairs to your bicycle. Now that your car is parked in front of the door, take the opportunity to have your bicycle properly checked and serviced.