Doorkijkpaneel 7. Industrie

UNIQUE AREA
The Oostvaardersplassen is nationally and internationally important as a wetland and wintering and breeding area for birds. The nature reserve consists of swamp, grassland, water and surrounding forests. The Oostvaardersplassen has an extremely rich and varied flora and fauna. The Oostvaardersplassen is part of the water-rich Nieuw Land National Park, which covers no less than 29,000 hectares.

BIG GRAZERS
From the 1980s onwards, various 'large grazers' were introduced into the area, with the aim of keeping the area open and varied. First a number of Heck cattle arrived, later red deer and koniks followed. The Konik is a direct descendant of the ancient horse. Every grazer 
has its specialty. In addition to grass, the red deer also eats bark and buds of shrubs and trees, while the konik mainly eats short grass. They mainly graze on the dry parts of the nature reserve. Maybe you can see the animals from this viewpoint?

DIFFERENT PLAN
Now you look out over this unique nature reserve. But you could also have had a completely different view here, namely a view of factories, chimneys and companies. The area between Lelystad and Almere was originally designated as an industrial estate. After drying out 
of Southern Flevoland in 1968, a wetland was created in the lower part of the planned industrial area. This extensive reed land and lake area attracted incredible numbers of birds in the first years, such as bearded men, ruffs, godwits and black terns. Greylag geese could molt and look for food safely in the pond area. The government therefore decided to scrap the industrial estate and 
Oostvaardersplassen as a nature reserve.

RAILWAY
The initial intention was that the route of the Flevolijn, the railway line that connects Weesp via Almere with Lelystad, would run in a straight line through the planned industrial area. That was a logical choice. However, when it became clear that the area between Almere and Lelystad would be reserved for nature, the railway line would split the nature reserve in two. Numerous nature organizations and the action committee 'Save the 
Oostvaardersplassen' protested and took action to save the special nature reserve. 32,000 signatures were collected against the planned route. Finally, the government decided to lay the railway line around the extensive nature reserve. This section of the Flevolijn is also called the bathtub route, because of the two characteristic bends around the nature reserve. The curved route is clearly visible from this viewpoint.