Kraggenburg, Vollenhove and Kraggenburg

The town of Kraggenburg is located in the Noordoostpolder, where our cycling tour begins. The picturesque village has less than two thousand inhabitants. The town was named after a light keeper's house that also functioned as a toll house. This building was called Oud Kraggenburg and is one of the oldest buildings in the Noordoostpolder. After the reclamation, Kraggenburg was designated as an agricultural center: it turned out to be the ideal place for fruit growing and some arable farming. Where there was unusable clay loam in the soil, forests were planted. Farmers and agricultural workers lived in the area, but when the National Aerospace Laboratory was established in Kraggenburg, the town also began to attract higher educated people. The new economic stimulus allowed more luxurious homes to be built. At its core, the village atmosphere has always been preserved: the community spirit in the village is characteristic. At events, the villagers join forces to create something beautiful and enjoyable for and with each other. You cycle past the Voorsterbos, which was planted in 1944 and is one of the oldest forests in Overijssel. This part of the polder is too wet for agriculture because the soil consists mainly of sand and boulder clay. The trees and vegetation are diverse and have attracted about sixty different bird species. You will encounter rare specimens such as the lesser spotted woodpecker, the beautifully singing nightingale and the cheerfully whistling oriole here, but birds of prey such as the honey buzzard and the sparrowhawk also feel very much at home in the Voorsterbos. Roe deer hide among the trees, but pine martens and small amphibians also live from the wealth that the forests, soil and water in the area have to offer. When it gets dark, the bats also become active.