Dronten

Dronten
Municipality

Dronten bell tower

Flag

Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Dronten in a municipal map of Flevoland
Location in Flevoland
Coordinates: 52°31′N 5°43′E / 52.517°N 5.717°E / 52.517; 5.717Coordinates: 52°31′N 5°43′E / 52.517°N 5.717°E / 52.517; 5.717
Country Netherlands
Province Flevoland
Established 1 January 1972
Government[1]
  Body Municipal council
  Mayor Aat de Jonge (CDA)
Area[2]
  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[3] −2 m (−7 ft)
Population (May 2014)[4]
  Total 40,363
  Density 121/km2 (310/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Drontenaar
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode 8250–8259
Area code 0321
Website www.dronten.nl

Dronten ( pronunciation ) is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Flevoland. It had 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 due to increased traffic and experiences gained in developing the Noordoostpolder, where a similar municipality had already been built. Eventually it was decided 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

Topography

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

Transportation

Railway station Dronten

Dronten has a railway station on the Lelystad-Zwolle railway.

Entertainment

Biddinghuizen contains the theme park Walibi Holland.

Sister city relations

References

  1. "College van Dronten" [Executive board of Dronten] (in Dutch). Gemeente Dronten. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  2. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten" [Key figures for neighbourhoods]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  3. "Postcodetool for 8251ER". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  4. "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  5. "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Retrieved 21 November 2015.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Dronten.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dronten.
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