50 years of Natuurpark Lelystad

Although the construction of the park started in 1974, the planting of trees and shrubs around the current park had already begun in 1970. Poplar, willow, hawthorn, blackthorn, field maple, alder, dogwood, currant, hazel, willow and hornbeam were planted on a large scale. When it became known that a nature park would be created, ash, maple, oak, beech, elm and spruce were added. Avenues and viewpoints were created and a viewing wall was constructed using soil left over from digging water features. Now, after 50 years, the trees have become giants and the designed park-like appearance has become reality.

In 1988, the first captive Euopean beavers arrived in Natuurpark Lelystad. At that time there were no wild beavers living in Flevoland. The intention was to breed wth these beavers and release their offspring in National Park De Biesbosch in the southwest of the Netherlands. But the captive beavers had bigger plans. They escaped from their enclosure by digging a tunnel under the road. Once in the wild, they reproduced so well that there are now approximately 300 beavers living all over Flevoland, 20 of which live in Natuurpark Lelystad.

Due to an ever-shrinking habitat and hunting, the Przewalski’s horse became extinct in the wild in 1968. The ‘Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski’s Horse’ committed itself to saving the horse species. Suitable ‘zoo Przewalski’s’ were collected in a breeding program. Because Natuurpark Lelystad formed the perfect link between the zoo and the wild, the animals were bred here and were given the chance to run wild. The breeding program led to the ‘return’ of Przewalski’s to the Mongolian steppe from 1992 onwards. As a result, Przewalski’s horses now live in the wild again.

The current, water-rich central area with several large lakes is the result of sand extraction for the A6. In 1978 and 1979, 1,345,000 m3 of sand was extracted here for the construction of the Rijksweg. These deep sand extraction pits filled with water and turned into lakes with varying depths. Many water birds stay here all year round. For example, trees on the islands in the lake form a resting place for hundreds of cormorants and dozens of species of water birds can be found here, including special species such as common merganser, smew and bittern.

Natuurpark Lelystad is a magnet for many ‘wild’ plants and animals due to the great variety in vegetation, open water, copses, forest transitions and grazing. And many new species are still found every year. Although not exactly known, it is estimated that there are about two thousand different species of plants, animals and mushrooms in the park. Many trees, shrubs and plants have been brought in since the beginning of the construction, but many species have established themselves spontaneously, such as roe deer, red fox, pine marten and dozens of species of insects, amphibians, plants and mushrooms.