Cornelis Lely, Dutch engineer and statesman, who designed and realised by law the Zuiderzee Works that made the Zuiderzee into the lake IJsselmeer
It lies on the (former) shore of the IJsselmeer which allows for transportation of goods via ships, and the proximity of two major motorways, the E30 (A1) and E232 (A28).
The Zoudenbalchs were also Lords of the island of Urk in the Zuiderzee (now IJsselmeer) for over a century (1476–1614), and as such played a key role in the life of that community during troubled times in the 16th century.