Applaus

Applaus is a cultural venue in Swifterbant, a village in the province of Flevoland, and it works as a meeting point for local performances, events and gatherings. Swifterbant is part of the land that was reclaimed from the former Zuiderzee in the twentieth century, when the sea was enclosed by the Afsluitdijk and large polders were drained and turned into farmland and new towns. Flevoland is the youngest province in the Netherlands, and its communities have grown up within living memory, giving the area a distinctive sense of pioneering.

The village's name is also known to archaeologists. Before the polders were drained, the area was a landscape of creeks and marshes, and finds made in the soil here, including tools, pottery and evidence of early farming, gave rise to the name Swifterbant culture, used for prehistoric people who lived in the wetlands about seven thousand years ago. It is a surprising layer of history beneath a very modern landscape, and it gives local people a story to tell about the ground they live on.

A venue like Applaus sits at the centre of community life. Small cultural centres in new towns host theatre, music, film and exhibitions, as well as meetings, courses and celebrations. They are a place where residents come together, and the programme is often a mix of local amateur groups and visiting professional performers. Visitors to the area may find a concert, a comedy night or a children's show, and the atmosphere is usually informal and friendly. Details of the programme change frequently, so check ahead.

Swifterbant is quiet, and most visitors come to the area for the polder landscape, cycling and nature. The Flevoland countryside is flat and open, with straight roads, wide fields and long views, and nature reserves and lakes lie nearby. Lelystad, with its Batavialand centre, and the towns of Dronten and Zeewolde offer other sights, and the Oostvaardersplassen reserve is known for its wild grazing animals and bird life.

Applaus suits those who want a taste of local life rather than a conventional tourist sight. It is worth checking the events calendar before a trip, and combining a visit with a ride through the surrounding polder landscape, where the story of reclaimed land becomes easy to understand. It is a modest, honest slice of the Netherlands’ newest land.