In this, the second of our 2-Part Series on The New Dutch, we travel to the Netherlands to discover how the pioneering region of Flevoland – located to the east of Amsterdam – was created out of the sea in the form of two great polders (flat, reclaimed marshland), to make the largest non-natural island in the world.
In Part 1 we began our exploration of The New Dutch with a visit to the vibrant and unique city of Rotterdam (read the article here). In Part 2, our journalist Victoria Reddington travels to Flevoland to discover Almere, Marker Wadden and Utopia Island and explores how these unique areas are creating a new landscape in the realm of sustainability in the Netherlands.
1. Almere
Flevoland is The Netherlands’ newest province and is home to Almere, which only became a city in 1984. This new land is the perfect representation of The New Dutch in the Netherlands – purposely planned for today’s kind of living. This land was under the sea until the 1930s, until the land was reclaimed from the sea; Almere is named for the ancient lake Almere that used to cover the IJsselmeer.
Known locally as ‘Ally’, the city is just east of Amsterdam and is only a 20-minute direct, non-stop train ride away from Amsterdam, making it popular with commuters looking for a more relaxed pace of life. In fact, it was created initially to relieve population pressures in Amsterdam and Utrecht and also to create its own specific economy with a sufficient number of jobs to minimise the need for commuting.
The attraction of Almere, to both locals and tourists, is clear from walking around the Almere Centrum (city centre). Almere has a unique combination of the striking modern architecture that abounds in Almere Centrum (think mainstream shops, restaurants and cinemas) and a varied social programme, alongside a unique polder landscape and wide, green spaces – such as the famous Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve – which make it a unique place to both live and visit.
I also had the pleasure of visiting the Green Roofs of Almere – an upper layer of planted green spaces on the rooftops of ground-level buildings, on which houses and small blocks of apartments sit. An oasis of a community, it’s redefining how city living can look and feel to its inhabitants.
With its innovative architecture and sustainable living, could Almere give us an innovative view into what city living could be like in the future, beyond the ‘The New Dutch’ – acting as an inspiration for other countries facing similar challenges?
Find out more and plan your visit to Almere here: https://www.visitalmere.com/en/discover/architecture
2. Marker Wadden
To visit Marker Wadden, we travelled via boat from the BataviaHaven port in Lelystad. The Markermeer, which surrounds these islands, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the largest tidal systems in the world. It’s a haven for wildlife, making the journey there a fascinating trip in itself.
However it’s what’s located within The Wadden Sea that is truly remarkable. Five new islands and surrounding shallow wetlands have been established; completely new land which has been reclaimed from the water and turned into ‘Marker Wadden’ – a revolutionary nature development project in the Netherlands, aimed at improving the ecological quality of the Markermeer Lake.
This project began as Lake Markermeer (which had been previously connected to the North Sea), had become a stagnant marine environment and a hostile environment for wildlife. The Dutch wildlife conservation NGO Natuurmonumenten and the Dutch Ministry of Public Works, decided to solve this by stimulating life in Lake Markermeer. Hence, the construction of the Marker Wadden Islands began and transformed Lake Markermeer into a dynamic environment to enrich animal and plant life (the first phase was completed in 2020).
We visited one of the islands, which is actually open to the public – this picturesque and peaceful landscape with rolling sand dunes and wildlife galore – includes a visitor centre, hiking trails, children’s play area and a watchtower where you can climb to the top to survey this unique landscape. Tourists can even book small huts located across the sandy dunes in which to stay and explore this beautiful landscape fully.
The largest part of the Marker Wadden however consists of closed nature reserves teeming with life. It’s incredible to think how a manmade lake, bereft of nature, has now been utterly transformed into an innovative marine environment, simply overflowing with wildlife.
Find out more about Marker Wadden here: https://www.visitflevoland.nl/en/locaties/1255854988/marker-wadden
3. Utopia Island
Weerwoud is a foundation based in Almere which aims to get everyone involved in perennial farming and ecosystem restoration. Utopia Island was created by Weerwoud Founder, Xavier San Giorgi, who gave us a guided tour around the island and its amazing work.
We followed the winding discovery trail across the island, where Xavier San Giorgi described how this amazing community of volunteers have cultivated a rich ecosystem, mixing trees, shrubs and perennials with kitchen plants. Acres of agroforest gardens have been laid out, enabling food production in a sustainable way, and showcasing how to reduce the need for pesticides.
Visitors to the island can be guided by volunteers and learn to ‘read’ trees, visit the compost theatre or take in much of the amazing art planted into the landscape. Utopia Island currently includes some amazing sculptures by artist Will Beckers for example. Using willow as one of the mediums, Becker’s sculptures include a willow frame looking out from the island toward the lake, a wishing horn where you shout out your wishes for nature, and a tunnel which mimics the underground perspective of a worm.
The work at Utopia Island is invaluable in teaching how to create a sustainable ecosystem around your outdoor environment – from an individual to a large scale level – and shows a new way in which to innovate in this space.
Discover Utopia Island here:
If you’re ready to experience The New Dutch, find out more at www.holland.com.
Review and images by Victoria Reddington @vic_reddington
