BorderingLelystad andZeewolde, the municipality of Almere comprises six official areas[5] that are the districts ofAlmere Stad (which is further split up into Almere Stad Oost, Almere Stad West and Almere Centrum),Almere Buiten and Almere Pampus (which is currently being designed),[6] and the boroughs ofAlmere Haven, Almere Hout andAlmere Poort. Four of them feature official district or borough offices.[7] Furthermore, it also comprises the unofficial historic district and neighborhood Oostvaardersdiep.[8][9] Almere is part of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (MRA).
Almere is the newest city in the Netherlands:[10] the land on which the city sits, the Southern Flevolandpolder,was reclaimed from theIJsselmeer from 1959 to 1968. The first house was finished in 1976, and Almere became a municipality in 1984. It has the largest population of the municipalities in Flevoland with214,715 citizens in 2021 and the 8th largest in the Netherlands. In October 2007, the city council of Almere made agreements with the government to expand the city to 350,000 inhabitants by 2030.[11][12]
The original plans for theIJsselmeerpolders saw the land being used for agriculture. However, afterWorld War II housing was needed for the rapidly growing population ofAmsterdam and two towns were planned in the polders Oostelijk Flevoland and Zuidelijk Flevoland. The town in Oostelijk Flevoland becameLelystad. The town in Zuidelijk Flevoland was still called Zuidweststad (English: South West City) on the first sketches, but in the 1970s it became calledAlmere, named after the lakeAlmere, the early medieval name of theZuiderzee. The first house in Almere was finished in 1976. At that time the town was still controlled by theOpenbaar Lichaam Zuidelijke IJsselmeerpolders (Z.IJ.P.), with aLanddrost. In 1984 Almere became an official municipality. Originally, Almere was envisioned as a town with multiple centres. This idea was later abandoned in favor of allowing neighbourhoods like Tussen de Vaarten to be built. There is also a difference between the way houses are built in the oldest and the newest parts of the city. The housing plan in Almere in the 1970s was basic functionality and a levelling of social status. However, starting in the 1990s more exclusive homes with striking designs were built (notably in the Regenboogbuurt).
The first municipal council was installed on 2 January 1984 in the presence of the then-Minister of the InteriorKoos Rietkerk. The council elections took place on 21 September 1983. Prior to 1984 Almere had anAdviesraad, which was chosen every 2 years (1978–1980, 1980–1982, 1982–1984). ThisAdviesraad was made up of different political parties similar to a local council. On 11 March 1977 the firstadviescommissie was elected. It consisted of 5 people that were chosen on personal title.Since 2018, the council of Almere has comprised a total of 45 members.
On 19 May 2004, at the instigation ofKees Kousemaker, owner of the Amsterdam comics storeLambiek, the first buildings of theStripheldenbuurt were inaugurated in Almere. This is a district where all street names are named after famous comics characters and cartoonists.[22]
Kunstlinie Almere Flevoland (formerly known as "Schouwburg Almere")
The traffic infrastructure in Almere is recognisable because of itsseparate infrastructure for cycles (which, in most cases, have separate cycle paths), carsand buses (the buses drive on a separate bus lane in most parts of the city).Almere is connected to the motorwaysA6 andA27.
A seasonal-use station,Almere Strand, was set up for certain events, such as Libelle Zomerweek. The station was made up of iron platforms. It was opened in May 1996 under the nameMuiderzand. The station was closed after June 1996 but re-opened in June 1999 under the nameMuiderstrand and closed again in July 1999. It re-opened again in 2001 under the nameAlmere Strand as an official seasonal-use station, meaning it was now open certain seasons every year. Because of the rapid development of the adjacent borough Almere Poort, it was decided to open an official station there (seeAlmere Poort), thus making the station of Almere Strand obsolete. Almere Poort station opened on December 9, 2012. Therefore, Almere Strand station was officially closed just after the summer of 2012 and its iron platforms were torn down in the weekend of October 6–7, 2012.[23] There are no remains of the station, although passengers can still see where the platforms once stood from the windows of Flevolijn trains.[clarification needed]
In Almere there are 11 bus lines which service the urban area.
Line #
Route
Notes
M1
Almere Centrum Station – Almere Haven De Marken or Almere Haven De Gouwen – Almere Haven Centrum
Runs every 5 minutes Mon-Fri during daytime hours (every 7.5–15 minutes on evenings and Sundays). The bus line changes into M2 at Almere Centrum
M2
Almere Centrum Station – Almere Buiten station - Almere Oostvaarders station - Almere Stripheldenbuurt
Runs every 5 minutes Mon-Fri during daytime hours (every 7.5–15 minutes on evenings and Sundays). The bus line changes into M1 at Almere Centrum
M3
Almere Centrum Station - Almere Beatrixpark - Almere Muziekwijk
Runs every 5 minutes Mon-Fri during daytime hours (every 7.5–15 minutes on evenings and Sundays).
M4
Almere Centrum Station – Almere Literatuurwijk – Almere Gooisekant-West – Almere Poort Homeruskwartier – Almere Poort Station
Runs every 5 minutes Mon-Fri during daytime hours (every 7.5–15 minutes on evenings and Sundays).
M5
Almere Centrum station - Almere Filmwijk - Almere Danswijk - Almere Parkwijk station
Runs every 5 minutes Mon-Fri during daytime hours (every 7.5–15 minutes on evenings and Sundays).
M6
Almere Centrum Station – Noorderplassen
Runs every 7 minutes Mon-Fri (every 15 minutes on Saturdays and every 30 minutes on Sundays).
M7
Almere Centrum station - Almere Parkwijk station - Almere Buiten station - Almere Oostvaarders station
Runs every 5 minutes Mon-Fri during daytime hours (every 7.5–15 minutes on evenings and Sundays).
22
Almere De Vaart/PIA – Almere Buiten Station
Mon-Fri only; does not run on evenings and weekends. Has 2 request stops
24
Almere Poort Station - Almere Duin
Only on Mon-Fri in rush hours. During the summer months also on weekends
25
Almere Sallandsekant - Almere Nobelhorst
Only on Mon-Fri in rush hours
525
Almere Sallandsekant – Almere Nobelhorst
Mon-Sat outside rush hours only
Monday to Friday, most city buses run about every 5 minutes (10 times every hour) during daytime hours. Saturdays, only a few city bus lines run every 7.5 minutes during daytime hours; most of them run every 12–15 minutes. Sunday, most of the city buses run every 15 minutes (with some buses running extra runs during certain hours) and M6 which only runs every 30 minutes.
There are a few overnight bus lines (Mon-Sat nights only): N21, N22 and N23. They run under the Keolis internal name nightGo (but are operated byR-net branded regional buses).
The bus company running almost all buses is Keolis Netherlands. Local buses (city buses) run under the name allGo. In the buses one can use thenational transportation chipcard (smart card), subscriptions or one can buy bus tickets of allGo in the bus or at TVM's (the latter only Downtown).
Mon-Fri, rush hours-only, express bus without stops in Amsterdam
326
Almere Centrum Station – Busstation 't Oor – Almere De Kemphaan – Blaricum Carpoolplaats
Mon-Fri only; does not run on evenings and weekends.
159
Almere Centrum Station – Almere Veluwsekant – Almere De Kemphaan – Almere Hout –Zeewolde –Harderwijk
Mon-Fri only; does not run on evenings and weekends. The last two buses of the day terminate halfway at Zeewolde Kwartiermakerslaan. Closed-system in Almere.
160
Almere Centrum Station – Busstation 't Oor – Almere De Kemphaan –Zeewolde De Eemhof –Amersfoort Vathorst Station
Runs 7 days a week, but only every 2 hours and only between 10 AM-10:30 PM. This bus is actually part of the OV Regio IJsselmond concession, but Keolis operates it under contract with Syntus Overijssel-branded buses.[25]
322
Almere Parkwijk Station – Almere Flevoziekenhuis – Almere Gooisepoort – Almere Poort Station –Muiden P+R –Diemen Diemerknoop –Amsterdam Amstel
Is allowed to use the emergency lanes on the highway parts of the route to manoeuvre past traffic jams.
327
Almere Haven Centrum – Busstation 't Oor – Muiden P+R – Diemen Diemerknoop –Amsterdam Amstel
Is allowed to use the emergency lanes on the highway parts of the route to manoeuvre past traffic jams.
328
Almere Haven Centrum – Busstation 't Oor – Muiden P+R – Diemen Diemerknoop –Amsterdam Bijlmer
Closed-system in Amsterdam. Is allowed to use the emergency lanes on the highway parts of the route to manoeuvre past traffic jams.
Line 159 is operated by the bus companyConnexxion.
Since April 2012, there was a rush hour route, 150, toUtrecht which connected Almere directly with the University Area of Utrecht calledDe Uithof. (This was previously done by former bus line 295[26]). Due to budget cuts, line 150 was scrapped on July 9, 2016.[27]
^"Postcodetool for 1315HR".Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Archived fromthe original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved1 September 2013.
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