Rotterdam is a city of infinite variety, a city with a
thousand faces. It is impossible for me to capture it in words or even
pictures. I could put up a hundred photos of Rotterdam here and still I'd
have left out most of it.
So I had a few difficult decisions to make, since the space on these web
pages is limited. I've tried to look at the city through the eyes of a
tourist, and I've taken many pictures. From these I've selected the best
for this virtual tour. Sit back and enjoy!
Rotterdam is built on the banks of the river Maas. Bridges across and tunnels under the Maas connect north and south, thereby forming vital links in the ever-increasing city traffic.
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| Maas, with the Noordereiland in the background |
Tugs like this are a common sight in Rotterdam, as are the boats of the Municipal Port Management. Here we see the river from the north bank. In the background we can see the Noordereiland ('Northern island'). The buildings on the Noordereiland, mostly former warehouses, have been renovated and are now in use as offices and apartments.
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| Willemsbrug, seen from Maas boulevard |
The Willemsbrug ('Willems bridge') is an important link for car traffic across the Maas. Suspended between its two characteristic red pylons, the Willemsbrug has become a well-known landmark, and a popular subjects for picture postcards from Rotterdam. The original Willemsbrug was built in 1878. This one was completed in the 1980's.
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| De Hef, the now decommissioned railway bridge |
Since the recent completion of the railroad tunnel under the Maas, De Hef ('The Lift') has been decommissioned. Completed in 1927, it has been preserved as an industrial monument. It is now permanently open.
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| Erasmusbrug (nicknamed "The Swan") |
Rotterdams latest bridge, the Erasmusbrug ('Erasmus bridge') was officially
opened in September 1996. Recently there have been some problems with the
suspension cables of the bridge, which show a disturbing tendency to vibrate
whenever a combination of heavy rain and strong wind occurs.
Its nickname, the Swan, refer to its gracious design and the single support
pylon.
The Erasmusbrug has been included in the
Rotterdam marathon
circuit since 1997.
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| The Willemsbrug and (former) railroad bridge. |
Here we can see the railroad bridge across the Maas, leading to De Hef, the moving section in the railroad bridge. This part of the bridge has been removed after the completion of the railroad tunnel.
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| The Van Brienenoord brug |
On the east side of the city the Van Brienenoord bridge carries the heaviest traffic load of all bridges in Rotterdam. Along with the Benelux tunnel on the west side, this bridge is a major link in the network of roads around Rotterdam. Traffic that passes Rotterdam in a north/south direction needs to go across this bridge or through the tunnel in order to get across the Maas.
These pictures are in my Photo Zone gallery (elsewhere on this site). I made them on a clear, frosty November night in 1998, shortly after midnight.
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| Maas and Willems bridge by night |
The pylons of the Willems bridge are illuminated by bright floodlights. The glare of the city lights up the whole sky over the city.
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| Willems bridge by night, closeup |
Closeup, the floods are intense enough to blind you, or at least ruin your night vision.
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| Erasmus bridge by night |
The bright white pylons bathe in mercury floodlights. This gives the bridge a brilliant, dazzling appearance after dark. Some argue that the bridge looks better in the dark... they could be right. :-)
(See the gallery in the photography section for more photos like these.
The heart of Rotterdam was completely destroyed in 1940 when World War II began. (See also the 'History, Facts & Figures' page.) After the war, it had to be rebuilt completely. This provided architects with wonderful opportunities.
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| Hofplein |
The Hofplein ('Court square') is dominated by glass, steel and concrete. Slender office towers, among the highest buildings in the Netherlands, rise ]up from the heart of the city. Although these buildings can't even begin to compete with the skyscrapers in the US after which they were modeled, the style is essentially the same.
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| Office towers near Rotterdam Central Station |
Extensive use of mirror glass gives the office towers a polished, hi-tech look. It's interesting to note that this style became popular while the soap series 'Dallas' was on TV in Holland. Therefore this design is sometimes called the Dallas-look.
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| Coolsingel |
The Coolsingel, leading south from the Hofplein, is a broad street flanked by office buildings and shops. As the name suggests ('singel' means 'canal') the Coolsingel used to be a waterway, but it was filled up during the previous century when road traffic in the city became more important than traffic by water. Before the war, the Coolsingel was lined with bars, restaurants and theaters. After the war these were replaced with shops and offices.
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| Cubes and pencils: an unusual piece of architecture |
The Cubes are a good example of new architecture in Rotterdam. Designed by
architect Piet Blom, these houses are fairly unique. The building in the
background is called The Pencil, for obvious reasons.
The blue roof and yellow tubes that are just visible above the cubes are
part of the public library building. The ducts are part of the air conditioning
system and have been painted in contrasting colors in order to attract
attention rather than to be camouflaged.
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| Maritime museum 'Prins Hendrik', Leuvehaven |
The maritime museum is located at the Leuvehaven ('Leuve harbor'). The harbor itself is given over to the open air section of the museum, which features antique port equipment including steam-powered cranes and vessels. A former battering ship of the Royal Dutch Navy is also on display here. The building on this picture houses the interior part of the museum. The modern design of the building contrasts sharply, but not unpleasantly, with the antiquated equipment on display right next to it. The small lighthouse used to be a harbor light, now preserved for posterity in the museum.
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| The Euromast: a room with a view |
The Euromast ('Euro tower') was build in 1960 on the occasion of the Floriade, a large horticultural fair. The upper section (the Space Tower) was added ten years later. On a clear day, the view from the top at 185 meters above sea level is spectacular, although clear days have become rare because of smog and air pollution in general.
Any city that wasn't built in a day has older and newer buildings standing side by side. This gives a (sometimes uneasy) blend of old and new styles. Rotterdam has more than its share of such contrasts.
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| Schiekade |
Sometimes the curious mix of old and new in Rotterdam can be quite striking. Antique facades may be standing side by side with new, no-nonsense concrete. And the office towers are always present in the background.
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| Goudsesingel |
Another example of such contrasts can be found at the Goudsesingel. The rounded building to the left is the former Nederlandse Incasso Bank, designed by architect Van Veen. It was built in 1940 and survived the war unscathed. It is now an architectural monument. The white, lens-shaped building next to it is a new apartment building, completed in the nineties.
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| Hotel New York, formerly the head offices of the Holland America Line |
For many decades a steady stream of migrants to the US departed from Rotterdam. The Holland America Line was the most important passenger company between Europe and the 'new world'. Nowadays, the former HAL building is in use as Hotel New York.
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| Het Witte Huis |
Het Witte Huis ('The White House') was completed in 1898 and is 45 meters high, at the time the highest building in Europe. It was one of the few buildings in the district to survive the bombings in 1940. (See also the historical section for pre- and postwar pictures.)
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| The Oude Haven: bars and restaurants |
The Oude Haven ('Old harbor') is an excellent place to spend an afternoon or evening. A large number of bars and restaurants offer plenty of opportunity to enjoy food, drink and socializing. Note the 'Cubes' (see above) on the left side of the (full-size) picture.
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| Rotterdam Zuid: Strevelsweg (Feyenoord) |
Unlike the heart of Rotterdam, Rotterdam Zuid did not suffer complete destruction during the war. Plenty of pre-war buildings survive, which gives this part of Rotterdam its special atmosphere. This picture was taken in the Feyenoord district, near the Feyenoord soccer stadium. Feyenoord got its name from the executioner Feye ('oord' means 'place'), as the Dutch admiralty used to have their gallows there. In those days it was also called Galligoord ('Place of Gallows').
Although the heart of Rotterdam has primarily become a business district, living in Rotterdam is still very well possible, in all forms, shapes and sizes. Of course many people live in one of the towns around Rotterdam (see also the 'Randstand & Rijnmond' page) but some prefer the city itself, and wouldn't want to live anywhere else for all the money in the world.
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| Schiekade |
Although the destruction in 1940 was complete in the heart of the city,
many houses in the districts surrounding it were spared. Most of them are
still in use.
This style used to be quite common: shops on the ground floor, apartments on
the upper floors.
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| Hillegersberg: Statenlaan |
By contrast, Hillegersberg is a district with stately mansions, wide streets and old trees. Only a few blocks away from the heart of the city, it has its own distinct, relaxed atmosphere.
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| Opposite Leuvehaven |
A room with a view: the houses opposite Leuvehaven ('Leuve harbor') oversee the harbor and the Maas, and are much in demand. They're also among the most expensive ones in Rotterdam. Many of them were built before the war, but have been extensively renovated.
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| Goudsesingel |
Modern apartments are also available. The ones at the Goudsesingel are recent, roomy and quite luxurious.
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| Spangen: Light and roomy |
This picture was taken in the Spangen district. Much of Spangen has been renovated, and older blocks have been torn down to make way for new houses. A modern, yet easy style dominates this block, with the intention to create an atmosphere of light and space.
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| Rotterdam Zuid: Spinozaweg |
The newer parts of Rotterdam Zuid also have their own distinct flavour. Large open spaces with parks, ponds and trees make it an enjoyable place to live.
Of course these are only pictures. And each day I spend in Rotterdam I see
something that makes me think 'I should have included a picture of that'.
There's just so much to see, and there are so many different aspects to the
city. And the picture changes every day. Rotterdam is impossible to capture
on film, it's changing so rapidly.
It's a truly dynamic city, a city with a thousand, ever-changing faces.