Visit Lelystad
Lelystad is named after the man who had the dream to drain the ocean. It is a place of big water and even bigger ships. You can find a **full scale model of a gold age ship** at the harbor. It is a city that celebrates the battle between man and the waves. The ground here is four meters below the level of the sea. Explore the **Batavialand** museum to see the famous wooden ship. You can climb the masts and see how sailors lived on the way to the east. The museum also shows how the whole province was pumped dry with giant machines. It is a story of grit and clever engineering. You can even see the old wrecks that were found when the water was removed. Drive to the **Oostvaardersplassen** to see the wild side of the polder. This is a massive nature park where horses and deer roam free. It looks like a wild savanna in the middle of a modern country. You can watch rare birds from the wooden hides along the water. It is a stunning contrast to the straight lines of the city.Top sights to visit
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Best match
Hotel
Historic City Hotel
Design hotel · City Centre · Free bikes
from€195/night
Hotel
Canal View Suites
Boutique suites · Waterfront · Breakfast included
from€245/night
Museum
Museum
National History Museum
Art & culture · City Centre · Guided tours
from€18/person
Spa
Spa
Wellness & Spa Centre
Thermal baths · Art Deco · City centre
from€35/session
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History of Lelystad
Lelystad is named after **Cornelis Lely** the man who had the crazy dream to turn the sea into a province. For a long time it was just a tiny island of mud where workers lived while they built the dikes that would protect the new land. It was the first place in the polder to be built and it feels like the true capital of the **Flevoland** province. The city is a monument to the battle between the people and the waves. The harbor is the heart of the city and holds a full scale replica of the **Batavia** a golden age ship that once sailed the world. It reminds everyone that the Dutch were masters of the water long before they learned how to drain it. The city also holds the great museums that tell the story of the **shipwrecks** found in the mud and the massive pumps that keep the ground dry. It is a place of maritime pride and bold engineering. Nature has also claimed a huge part of this new land in the marshy parks on the city edge like the **Oostvaardersplassen**. Here wild horses and rare birds live in a world that looks like it has been there for thousands of years. It is a city where the high tech world of the harbor meets the raw power of nature. For the traveler it is the best place to understand how the Dutch took control of their destiny and built a home where the fish once swam.Stay in the loop
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