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Dronten
Municipality
Dronten bell tower
Dronten bell tower
Flag of Dronten
Flag
 Coat of arms of Dronten
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Dronten in a municipal map of Flevoland
Location in Flevoland
Country Netherlands
Province Flevoland
Established 1 January 1972
Government
 • Body Municipal council
Area
 • Total 423.89 km2 (163.66 sq mi)
 • Land 333.89 km2 (128.92 sq mi)
 • Water 90.00 km2 (34.75 sq mi)
Elevation
−2 m (−6.6 ft)
Population
 (May 2014)
 • Total 40,363
 • Density 121/km2 (310/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Drontenaar
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
8250–8259
Area code 0321

Dronten (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdrɔntə(n)]) is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Flevoland. It had a population of 40,363 in 2014.

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

  • Biddinghuizen
  • Dronten
  • Swifterbant
  • Ketelhaven

Topography

Dronten-plaats-OpenTopo.jpg

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

Transportation

Station Dronten
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

  • Japan Ōgata, Akita, Japan (friendship city)

Notable people

Beitske Visser
Beitske Visser, 2012
  • Patrick Paauwe (born 1977), Dutch former professional footballer with 451 caps
  • Cees Paauwe (born 1975), Dutch former football goalkeeper with over 100 caps
  • Bertolf Lentink (born 1980), Dutch singer/songwriter who plays guitar and piano
  • Ricardo Talu (born 1993), Dutch-Angolan professional footballer
  • Hakim Ziyech (born 1993), Dutch-Moroccan professional footballer, currently playing for Chelsea F.C.
  • Beitske Visser (born 1995), Dutch female racing driver
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