A major logistic and economic centre, Rotterdam isEurope's largest seaport. In 2022, Rotterdam had a population of 655,468 and is home to over 180 different nationalities.[10]
TheRhine,Meuse andScheldt give waterway access into the heart of Western Europe, including the highly industrializedRuhr. The extensive distribution system including rail, roads, and waterways have earned Rotterdam the nicknames "Gateway to Europe" and "Gateway to the World".[14][15][16]
The settlement at the lower end of thefen streamRotte (orRotta, as it was then known, fromrot, "muddy" anda, "water", thus "muddy water") dates from at least the year 950.[17] Around 1150, largefloods in the area ended development, leading to the construction of protectivedikes and dams, includingSchielands Hoge Zeedijk ("Schieland's High Sea Dike") along the northern banks of the present-dayNieuwe Maas river. A dam on the Rotte was built in the 1260s and was located at the present-dayHoogstraat ("High Street").
On 7 July 1340, CountWillem IV of Holland grantedcity rights to Rotterdam, which then had a population of only a few thousand.[18] Around the year 1350, a shipping canal (theRotterdamse Schie) was completed, which provided Rotterdam access to the larger towns in the north, allowing it to become a local trans-shipment centre between the Netherlands,England andGermany, and tourbanize.[19]
The port of Rotterdam grew slowly but steadily into a port of importance, becoming the seat of one of the six "chambers" of theVereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC), theDutch East India Company and one of the five "chambers" of the West-Indische Compagnie (WIC), theDutch West India Company.
The greatest spurt of growth, both in port activity and population, followed the completion of theNieuwe Waterweg in 1872. The city and harbour started to expand on the south bank of the river. TheWitte Huis orWhite House skyscraper,[21] inspired by American office buildings and built in 1898 in the FrenchArt Nouveau style, is evidence of Rotterdam's rapid growth and success. When completed, it was the tallest office building in Europe, with a height of 45 m (147.64 ft).
DuringWorld War I, the city was the world's largest spy centre because of Dutch neutrality and its strategic location between Britain, Germany and German-occupied Belgium. Many spies who were arrested and executed in Britain were led by German secret agents operating from Rotterdam.MI6 had its main European office on de Boompjes. From there the British coordinated espionage in Germany and occupied Belgium. During World War I, an average of 25,000 Belgian refugees lived in the city, as well as hundreds of German deserters and escaped Allied prisoners of war.[22]
DuringWorld War II, the German armyinvaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940.[23]Adolf Hitler had hoped to conquer the country in just one day, but his forces met unexpectedly fierce resistance. The Dutch army was forced to capitulate on 15 May 1940, following thebombing of Rotterdam on 14 May and the threat of bombing other Dutch cities.[24][25][26][27] The heart of Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed by theLuftwaffe. Some 80,000 civilians were made homeless and 900 were killed; a relatively low number since many had fled the city because of the warfare and bombing going on in Rotterdam since the start of the invasion three days earlier. The City Hall survived the bombing.Ossip Zadkine later attempted to capture the event with his statueDe Verwoeste Stad ('The Destroyed City'). The statue stands near the Leuvehaven, not far from theErasmusbrug in the centre of the city, on the north shore of the river Nieuwe Maas. In 1941, 11,000 Jews still lived in Rotterdam. Before the war there were 13,000. Between 30 July 1942, and 22 April 1943, 6,790 people were deported in 8 transports via Loods 24. The vast majority of the Jews who were deported via Loods 24 were murdered inSobibór andAuschwitz-Birkenau. Research in 2000 showed that 144 people survived the deportations. In 2013 theJewish Children's Monument [nl] was unveiled.
In January 1948,Queen Wilhelmina presented the motto 'Sterker door strijd' (Stronger through effort) as part of thecoat of arms of Rotterdam to the city government:
...as a reminder also for posterity of the courage and strength with which the people of Rotterdam bore all the trials of the war and the important part they took in the liberation of the fatherland....—Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Rotterdam was gradually rebuilt from the 1950s through to the 1970s. Because the city centre was largely destroyed, new spatial infrastructure could be built, making it an open and modern city. In 1953 theLijnbaan was opened, the first car-free shopping street in Europe. The progressive design attracted a lot of international attention, in which film and television played an important role.[28] The newCentral Station was completed in 1957, with theGroothandelsgebouw from 1953 next to it. TheEuromast was erected in 1960 on the occasion of theFloriade.From the 1980s onwards the city councils began developing an active architectural policy. The harbours were moving westwards and the old environment had to be reshaped. Daring and new styles ofapartments, office buildings and recreation facilities resulted in a more 'livable' city centre with a new skyline. In the 1990s, theKop van Zuid was built on the south bank of the river as a new business centre. Rotterdam was voted 2015 European City of the Year by the Academy of Urbanism.[12] A profile of Rem Koolhaas inThe Guardian begins "If you put the last 50 years of architecture in a blender, and spat it out in building-sized chunks across the skyline, you would probably end up with something that looked a bit like Rotterdam".[29]
Topographic map image of Rotterdam (city), as of September 2014
Rotterdam is divided into a northern and a southern part by the river Nieuwe Maas, connected by (from west to east): the Beneluxtunnel; theMaastunnel; theErasmusbrug; a subway tunnel; the Willemsspoortunnel ('Willems railway tunnel'); theWillemsbrug ('Willems Bridge') together with the Koninginnebrug ('Queen's Bridge'); and theVan Brienenoordbrug ('Van Brienenoord Bridge'). The former railway lift bridgeDe Hef ('the Lift') is preserved as aRijksmonument (national heritage site) in lifted position between theNoordereiland ('North Island') and the south of Rotterdam.
View of Rotterdam from the Euromast
The city centre is located on the northern bank of the Nieuwe Maas, although recent urban development has extended the centre to parts of southern Rotterdam known asKop van Zuid ('the Head of South', i.e. the northern part of southern Rotterdam). From its inland core, Rotterdam reaches theNorth Sea by a swathe of predominantly harbour area.
Built mostly behind dikes, large parts of Rotterdam are below sea level. For instance, the Prins Alexander Polder in the northeast of Rotterdam extends 6 m (20 ft) below sea level, or rather belowNormaal Amsterdams Peil (NAP) or 'Amsterdam Ordnance Datum'. The lowest point in the Netherlands (6.76 m (22.2 ft) below NAP) is situated just to the east of Rotterdam, in the municipality ofNieuwerkerk aan den IJssel.
Satellite image of Rotterdam and its port
TheRotte river no longer joins the Nieuwe Maas directly. Since the early 1980s, when the construction of Rotterdam's second underground line interfered with the Rotte's course, its waters have been pumped through a pipe into the Nieuwe Maas via the Boerengat.
Between the summers of 2003 and 2008, an artificialbeach was created at the Boompjeskade along the Nieuwe Maas, between the Erasmus Bridge and the Willems Bridge.Swimming was not possible, digging pits was limited to the height of the layer ofsand, about 50 cm (20 in). Alternatively, people go to the beach ofHook of Holland (which is a Rotterdam district) or one of the beaches inZeeland:Renesse or the Zuid Hollandse Eilanden:Ouddorp,Oostvoorne.
Rotterdam forms the centre of theRijnmond conurbation, bordering the conurbation surroundingThe Hague to the north-west. The two conurbations are close enough to be a single conurbation. They share theRotterdam The Hague Airport and a light rail system calledRandstadRail. Consideration is being given to creating an official Metropolitan region Rotterdam The Hague (Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag), which would have a combined population approaching 2.5 million.
In its turn, the Rijnmond conurbation is part of the southern wing (theZuidvleugel) of theRandstad, which is one of the most important economic and densely populated areas in the north-west of Europe. Having a population of 7.1 million, the Randstad is thesixth-largesturban area inEurope (after Moscow, London, Paris, Istanbul, and the Rhein-Ruhr Area). The Zuidvleugel, situated in the province ofSouth Holland, has a population of around 3 million.
Rotterdam experiences a temperateoceanic climate (Köppen climate classificationCfb) similar to all of the coastal areas in the Netherlands. Located near to the coast, its climate is slightly milder than locations further inland. Winters are cool with frequent cold days, while the summers are mild to warm, with occasional hot temperatures. Temperature rises above 30 °C on average 4 days each summer, while (night) temperatures can drop below −5 °C during winter for short periods of time, mostly during periods of sustained easterly (continental) winds. Precipitation is generally moderate throughout the year, although spring and summer (particularly before August) are relatively drier and sunnier, while autumn and winter are cloudier with more frequent rain (or snow). The following climate data is from the airport, which is slightly cooler than the city, being surrounded by water canals which make the climate milder and with a higherrelative humidity. The city has anurban heat island, especially inside the city centre.[30]
Rotterdam is diverse, with the demographics differing by neighbourhood. The city centre has a disproportionately high number of single people when compared to other cities, with 70% of the population between the ages of 20 and 40 identifying as single.[35] Those with higher education and higher income live disproportionately in the city centre, as do foreign-born citizens.
Themunicipality of Rotterdam is part of theRotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area which, as of 2015, covers an area of 1,130 km2, of which 990 km km2 is land, and has a population of approximately 2,563,197. As of 2019, the municipality itself occupies an area of 325.79 km2, 208.80 km2 of which is land, and is home to 638,751 inhabitants.[36] Its population peaked at 731,564 in 1965, but the dual processes ofsuburbanization andcounterurbanization saw this number steadily decline over the next 2 decades, reaching 560,000 by 1985.[37][38] Although Rotterdam has experienced population growth since then, it has done so at a slower pace than comparable cities in the Netherlands, like Amsterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.[38]
The size of the municipality of Rotterdam is the result of the amalgamation of the following former municipalities,[39] some of which were asubmunicipality prior to 19 March 2014:
In the Netherlands, Rotterdam has the highest percentage of residents with a recentmigration background from non-industrialised nations. They form a large part of Rotterdam's multi-ethnic and multicultural diversity. 52.9% of the population have at least one parent born outside the country. There are 80,000 Muslims, constituting 13% of the population in 2010.[40] The former mayor of Rotterdam,Ahmed Aboutaleb (2009-2024), is of Moroccan descent and is a practicing Muslim.[41][42] The city is home to the largest Dutch Antillean community in the Netherlands.[43] The city also has its ownChina Town at the West-Kruiskade, close to Rotterdam Centraal.[44]
Christianity is the largest religion in Rotterdam, with 36.3% of the population identifying. The second and third largest religions areIslam (13.1%) andHinduism (3.3%), while about half of the population hasno religious affiliation.
Since 1795 Rotterdam has hosted the chief congregation of the liberal Protestant brotherhood ofRemonstrants. From 1955 it has been the seat of theCatholicbishop of Rotterdam when the Rotterdam diocese was split from theHaarlem diocese. Since 2010 the city is home to the largest mosque in the Netherlands, theEssalam Mosque [nl] (capacity 1,500).
The municipal council consists of 45 members, the largest party isLivable Rotterdam. The municipal executive consists of mayorCarola Schouten and nine elderman, belonging to four parties.
Rotterdam has always been one of the main centres of the shipping industry in the Netherlands. From the Rotterdam Chamber of theVOC, the world's first multinational, established in 1602, to the merchant shipping leader RoyalNedlloyd established in 1970, with its corporate headquarters located in the landmark building the 'Willemswerf' in 1988.[47] In 1997, Nedlloyd merged with the British shipping industry leader P&O forming the third largest merchant shipping company in the world. The Anglo-DutchP&O Nedlloyd was bought by the Danish giant corporation 'AP MollerMaersk' in 2005 and its Dutch operations are still headquartered in the 'Willemswerf'. Nowadays, well-known companies with headquarters in Rotterdam are consumer goods companyUnilever (since 2020 London), asset management firmRobeco, energy companyEneco, dredging companyVan Oord, oil companyRoyal Dutch Shell (since 2021London), terminal operatorVopak, commodity trading companyVitol and architecture firmsMVRDV andOffice for Metropolitan Architecture.
It is also home to the regional headquarters of chemical companyLyondellBasell, commodities trading companyGlencore, pharmaceutical companyPfizer, logistics companiesStolt-Nielsen, electrical equipment companyABB and consumer goods companyProcter & Gamble. Furthermore, Rotterdam has the Dutch headquarters ofAllianz,Maersk,Petrobras,Samskip,Louis Dreyfus Group, andAon. The City of Rotterdam makes use of the services of semi-government companiesRoteb (to take care ofsanitation,waste management and assorted services) and the Port of Rotterdam Authority (to maintain thePort of Rotterdam). Both these companies were once municipal bodies; now they are autonomous entities, owned by the city.
Unmanned vehicles handle containers at Europe Container Terminals (ECT), the largest container terminal operator in Europe.The Waalhaven
Being the largest port and one of the largest cities of the country, Rotterdam attracts many people seeking jobs, especially in the cheap labour segment. The city's unemployment rate is 12%, almost twice the national average.[48] Rotterdam is the largestport inEurope, with the riversMaas andRhine providing excellent access to thehinterland upstream reaching toBasel, Switzerland and into France. In 2004Shanghai took over as the world'sbusiest container port. In 2006, Rotterdam was the world's seventh largestcontainer port in terms oftwenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) handled.[49] The port's main activities arepetrochemical industries and generalcargo handling andtransshipment. The harbour functions as an important transit point forbulk materials between the European continent and overseas. From Rotterdam, goods are transported by ship, river barge, train or road. In 2007, theBetuweroute, a new fast freightrailway from Rotterdam toGermany, was completed.
Well-known streets in Rotterdam are theLijnbaan (the first set ofpedestrian streets of the country, opened in 1953), the Hoogstraat, theCoolsingel with the city hall, which was renovated between 2018 and 2021 giving cyclists and pedestrians more space, meaning that car traffic was reduced from 4 lanes (2 in each direction) to 2 lanes (1 in each direction). Another mainstreet is theWeena, which runs from the Central Station to theHofplein (square). A modern shopping venue is the Beurstraverse ("Stock Exchange Traverse"), better known by its informal name 'Koopgoot' ('Buying/Shopping Gutter', after its subterranean position), which crosses the Coolsingel below street level. The Kruiskade is a more upscale shopping street, with retailers likeMichael Kors,7 For All Mankind,Calvin Klein,Hugo Boss,Tommy Hilfiger and the Dutch well-known men's clothierOger. Another upscale shopping venue is a flagship store of department storeDe Bijenkorf. Located a little more to the east is theMarkthal, with lots of small retailers inside. This hall is also one of Rotterdam's famous architectural landmarks. The main shopping venue in the south of Rotterdam is Zuidplein, which lies close toRotterdam Ahoy, an accommodation centre for shows, exhibitions, sporting events, concerts and congresses. Another prominent shopping centre called Alexandrium lies in the east of Rotterdam. It includes a large kitchen and furniture centre.
Rotterdam has one major university, theErasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), named after one of the city's famous former inhabitants,Desiderius Erasmus. The Woudestein campus houses (among others)Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. InFinancial Times' 2005 rankings it placed 29th globally and 7th in Europe. In the 2009 rankings of Masters of Management, the school reached first place with theCEMS Master in Management and the tenth place with its RSM Master in Management.[50] The university is also home to Europe's largest student association, STAR Study Association Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the world's largest student association,AIESEC, has its international office in the city.
TheWillem de Kooning Academy is Rotterdam's main art school, which is part of the Hogeschool Rotterdam. It is regarded as one of the most prestigious art schools in the Netherlands and the number 1 in Advertising and Copywriting. Part of theWillem de Kooning Academy is thePiet Zwart Institute for postgraduate studies and research in Fine Art, Media Design and Retail Design. The Piet Zwart Institute boasts a selective roster of emerging international artists.
The Hoboken campus of EUR houses the Dijkzigt (general) hospital, the Sophia Hospital (for children),Daniel den Hoed clinic (cancer institute) and the medical department of the university. They are known collectively as theErasmus Medical Center. This center is ranked third in Europe by CSIC[51] as a hospital, and is also ranked within top 50 universities of the world in the field of medicine (clinical, pre-clinical & health, 2017).[52]
Rotterdam waterfront, with spotlights shining into the air to commemorate theRotterdam Blitz
Once primarily a city of labour, for its harbour and related industries, Rotterdam has now developed into a city of culture too, with various museums, cultural centres and activities, offering a stage forarchitecture, music, visuals arts, poetry, cinema, theatre, and culture more generally, with a range of festivals and other events, and a buzzing nightlife. The city has its own orchestra, theRotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, with its well-regarded young music directorLahav Shani, which plays at the congress and concert buildingDe Doelen.[53] TheAhoy complex in the south of the city is used for pop concerts, exhibitions, tennis tournaments and other activities. There are also several theatres and cinemas, includingLantarenVenster andCinerama.[54]
The first municipal library of Rotterdam was founded in 1604. The currentBibliotheek Rotterdam (Public library), was established in 1869, and is currently the largest cultural organization in Rotterdam, with fifteen branches across the city.
The Rotterdam City Archives (Stadsarchief Rotterdam) was established in 1857. Here one can find administrative records and sources about the city's historical development.[59] The archival holdings include, among other, general archives, notarial deeds, an audiovisual collection, and a library.
Rotterdam has a long tradition of popular music, including the city's Jazz scene before and after WWII.[60] A major historical moment in the city's music history is the legendaryKralingen Pop Festival, which took place in Rotterdam in 1970 (featuring, among other,Pink Floyd,Jefferson Airplane,The Byrds,Canned Heat,It's a Beautiful Day, andSantana). The festival was also made into a film,Stamping Ground (dir. George Sluizer).[61] Alternative (music) culture became prominently present in the city in these days. From the 1960s until the 2000s, Rotterdam had a thrivingsquatters movement, which not only accommodated thousands of people, but also created social centres and cultural venues.[62] From this movement came clubs like Boogjes, Eksit, Nighttown, Vlerk and Waterfront. A major reference isPoortgebouw, which was squatted in 1980 and quickly legalised.
Rotterdam also became the home ofGabber, a type of hardcore electronic music popular in the mid-1990s, with hard beats and samples. Groups likeNeophyte andRotterdam Terror Corps (RTC) started in Rotterdam, playing at clubs like Parkzicht. In the years 2005–2011, the city struggled with keeping venues for pop music; many of them suffered severe financial problems.[63] This resulted in the disappearance of the major music venues Nighttown and WATT and smaller stages such as Waterfront, Exit, and Heidegger. The city today has a few stages forpop music, likeRotown,Poortgebouw and Annabel. Additionally, the venueWORM focuses onexperimental music, as well as various other cultural activities.
WORM also screens films and hosts a film lab,Filmwerkplaats.[64] In fact, Rotterdam has an extensive film history,[65] ranging from avant-garde classics, such asThe Bridge (Ivens, 1928), to internationally acclaimed documentaries from the post-war era, such asSteady! (Van der Horst, 1952), and all kinds of fiction films. Of major importance within this context has also been theInternational Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), an annual event that lasts more than ten days (end of January, beginning of February), which has been organized since 1972. Besides the IFFR, several smaller film festivals take place in Rotterdam too, such as theArchitecture Film Festival Rotterdam (AFFR).
Throughout the year, many different festivals take place in Rotterdam. There are the summer festivals celebrating the city's multicultural population and identity, such as the Caribbean-inspired "Summer Carnival", the Dance Parade, Rotterdam 666, and the Metropolis pop festival. There are alsoPoetry International (in June), theNorth Sea Jazz Festival (in July), the Valery Gergiev Festival (in September), and, also in September, the festival 'September in Rotterdam', the festival 'World of the Witte de With Quaret', and theWorld Port Days.
On 30 August 2019, it was announced by theEuropean Broadcasting Union and Dutch television broadcastersAVROTROS,NOS andNPO, that Rotterdam would host theEurovision Song Contest 2020, following the Dutch victory at the2019 contest inTel Aviv,Israel with the song "Arcade", performed byDuncan Laurence.[66] However, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the 2020 contest was cancelled, and Rotterdam was later retained as host of the2021 contest.[67][68] The contest took place atRotterdam Ahoy, with the semi-finals taking place on 18 and 20 May 2021, and the final taking place on 22 May 2021.[69] This was the first time that Rotterdam hosted the contest, and the first time that the Netherlands hosted the contest since1980, when it was held inThe Hague.
There is a healthy competition withAmsterdam, which is often viewed as the cultural capital of the Netherlands. This rivalry is most common amongst the city's football supporters,Feyenoord (Rotterdam) andAjax (Amsterdam). There is a saying: "Amsterdam to party, Den Haag (The Hague) to live, Rotterdam to work". Another one, more popular by Rotterdammers, is "Money is earned in Rotterdam, distributed in The Hague and spent in Amsterdam".[70] Another saying that reflects both the rivalry between Rotterdam and Amsterdam is "Amsterdam has it, Rotterdam doesn't need it". Bright magazine editor Erwin van der Zande notes that this phrase is on T-shirts in Rotterdam.[71]
Rotterdam has become world famous because of its modern and groundbreaking architecture. Throughout the years the city has been nicknamedManhattan at the Meuse[72][73][74][75][76][77] andThe architectural capital of the Netherlands[78][79][80] both for its skyline and because it is home to internationally leading architectural firms involved in the design of famous buildings and bridges in other big cities. Examples includeOMA (Rem Koolhaas),MVRDV,Neutelings & Riedijk andErick van Egeraat.[81][82] It has the reputation in being a platform for architectural development and education through the NAi (Netherlands Architecture Institute), which is open to the public and has a variety of exhibitions on architecture and urban planning issues and prior theBerlage Institute, a postgraduate laboratory of architecture. The city has 38 skyscrapers and 352 high-rises and has many skyscrapers planned or under construction.[83][84] The top 5 of highest buildings in the Netherlands consists entirely of buildings in Rotterdam.[85] It is home to the two tallest buildings in the Netherlands, theMaastoren with a height of 165 meters and theZalmhaven Tower (completed in 2021) with a height of 215 meters.
In 1898, the 45 m (148 ft) high-rise office building the White House (in DutchWitte Huis) was completed, at that time the tallest office building in Europe.In the first decades of the 20th century, some influential architecture in the modern style was built in Rotterdam. Notable are theVan Nelle fabriek (1929) a monument of modern factory design byBrinkman andVan der Vlugt, theJugendstil clubhouse of theRoyal Maas Yacht Club designed by Hooijkaas jr. en Brinkman (1909), andFeyenoord's football stadiumDe Kuip (1936) also byBrinkman andVan der Vlugt. The architectJ. J. P. Oud was a famous Rotterdammer in those days. The Van Nelle Factory obtained the status of UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 2014.During the early stages ofWorld War II the centre of Rotterdam wasbombed by the GermanLuftwaffe, destroying many of the older buildings in the centre of the city. After an initial crisis re-construction, the centre of Rotterdam has become the site of the ambitious new architecture.
TheCube Houses, popularly known as theBlaak-forest in 2014TheMarkthal at night as seen from the BinnenrotteTheEuromast in 2005
Rotterdam is also famous for itsLijnbaan 1952 by architects Broek en Bakema, Peperklip by architect Carel Weeber, Kubuswoningen orcube houses designed by architectPiet Blom 1984.
The newest landmark in Rotterdam is theMarkthal, designed by architect firmMVRDV. In addition to that, there are many international well-known architects based in Rotterdam likeO.M.A (Rem Koolhaas),Neutelings & Riedijk andErick van Egeraat to name a few. Two architectural landmarks are located in the Lloydkwartier: the STC college building and theSchiecentrale 4b. The construction of the Depot of theMuseum Boijmans Van Beuningen was started in 2003 and was officially opened by king Willem-Alexander on 5 November 2021. It is the world's first fully accessible art depot.[86]
Rotterdam also houses several of the tallest structures in the Netherlands.
TheErasmusbrug (1996) is a 790-meter (2,600 ft) cable-stayed bridge linking the north and south of Rotterdam. It is held up by a 138 m (453 ft) tall pylon with a characteristic bend, earning the bridge its nickname 'De Zwaan' ('the Swan').
Rotterdam has the tallest residential building in the Netherlands: theDe Zalmhaven Tower (215 m (705.4 ft)).
Rotterdam is also home to the tallest office building 'Maastoren' (164.75 m or 540.5 ft) which housesDeloitte. This office tower surpassed the 'Delftse Poort' (160 m or 520 ft) which houses Nationale-Nederlanden insurance company, part ofING Group as tallest office tower in 2009.[87][88]
The skyline of Rotterdam also houses the 185 m (607 ft) tallEuromast, which is a majortourist attraction. It was built in 1960, initially reaching a height of 101 m (331 ft); in 1970, the Euromast was extended by 85 m (279 ft).
Rotterdam has a reputation for being a platform for architectural development and education through the Berlage Institute, a postgraduate laboratory of architecture, and the NAi (Netherlands Architecture Institute), which is open to the public and has a variety of exhibitions on architecture and urban planning issues.
Over 30 new highrise projects are being developed. A Guardian journalist wrote in 2013 that "All this is the consequence of the city suffering a bombardment of two things: bombs and architects."[29]
Within Rotterdam's urban structure, parks and greenery play an important role. A number of well-known parks in Rotterdam are:
Arboretum Trompenburg
Het Park (Het Park bij de Euromast), is a 70 acres park on the Maas, south of the Westzeedijk, at theEuromast. The eastern half of the park was constructed between 1852 and 1863 to a design by the firm Jan David Zocher. The western part was added in 1866 with some modifications. The firstFloriade in 1960 was held in Het Park, with the Euromast observation tower being erected to mark the event.National Heritage site since 2011. Originally, the park continued across the Westzeedijk, were the Medical Faculty was built in the 1960s (now Erasmus MC). See also: Museumpark.
Museumpark, close to Het Park, was originally designed in 1927 by architect W.G. Witteveen, who also designedMuseum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Today, several museums have clustered around the park.
Diergaarde Blijdorp, which is situated on the northwest side of Rotterdam, complete with a walkthrough sea aquarium, called theOceanium.
Arboretum Trompenburg inKralingen. The park dates back to 1820, but it was only after it was opened to the public in 1958 that the park, which was managed by the (Van Hoey) Smith family for generations, gained wider attention. The park, approximately 20 acres in size, contains approximately 4,000 different types of trees, shrubs and perennials, amongst others the national plant collections ofconifers,Quercus,Fagus,Rhododendron,Ligustrum,Rodgersia andHosta.
Park Schoonoord (3 acres) is located in theScheepvaartkwartier and was designed in its current form in 1860 by Jan David Zocher.
TheVroesenpark in the district Rotterdam-Noord was laid out from 1929 to a plan by city architect W.G.Witteveen.
TheZuiderpark (780 acres) is located in the district ofCharlois. The park was laid out as a utility park from 1952 and not as an ornamental park.
Park Rozenburg is a 7.41 acres (3.00 ha) park in the neighbourhoodKralingen. The park is a protected municipal monument (Dutch:Gemeentelijk monument).[89][90]
Since 28 May 1994, Rotterdam has had the phenomenonOpzoomeren. 15% of Rotterdam residents (about 100,000 residents) say they participate in this phenomenon.[91] At the end of 2020, the city has a record number of 2,503 Opzoomer streets,[92] which is mainly reflected in the construction of facade gardens.
Dakpark Rotterdam
The municipality of Rotterdam is encouraging the construction ofgreen roofs. There is an attractive subsidy for roof owners and the city has now provided a number of municipal buildings with a green roof. As of 1 January 2020, the water storage capacity requirement has been increased to 30 liters of water storage capacity per square metre. This reduces the burden on the sewer system during heavy rainfall and reduces the risk of flooding on the street.[93]
The city's largest green roof is located on top of theGroothandelsgebouw next to Central Station.
TheDakakker is the largest roof farm in Europe on top of the Schieblok.
TheDakpark is an elongated, narrow park in the districtBospolder-Tussendijken in Rotterdam-West. It has been built at a height of about nine meters, is about 85 meters wide and extends for about a kilometer from Hudson Square to near Marconi Square.[94]
The municipality of Rotterdam will provide the flat roof of the conference and concert buildingDe Doelen with greenery and water storage. The design for the roof was made by Kraijvanger Architects.[95]
Feyenoord, founded in 1908 and the dominant of the three professional clubs, has won sixteen national titles since the introduction of professional football in the Netherlands. It won theUEFA Champions League as the first Dutch club in 1970 and won the World Cup for club teams in the same year. In 1974, they were the first Dutch club to win theUEFA Cup and in 2002, Feyenoord won the UEFA Cup again. In 2008, the year of their 100-year-anniversary, Feyenoord won theKNVB Cup.
Seating 51,480, its 1937 stadium, calledStadion Feijenoord but popularly known asDe Kuip ('the Tub'), is the second-largest in the country, after theAmsterdam Arena. De Kuip, located in the southeast of the city, has hosted many international football games, including the final ofEuro 2000 and has been awarded a FIFA 5 star ranking. There are concrete plans to build a new stadium with a capacity of at least 63,000 seats.
Sparta, founded in 1888 and situated in the northwest of Rotterdam, won the national title six times; Excelsior (founded 1902), in the northeast, has never won any.
Rotterdam also has threefourth tier clubs, SC Feijenoord (Feyenoord Amateurs), PVV DOTO and TOGR.Rotterdam is and has been the home to many great football players and coaches, among whom:
Rotterdam has its own annual internationalmarathon, which offers one of the fastest courses in the world. From 1985 until 1998, theworld record was set in Rotterdam, first byCarlos Lopes and later in 1988 byBelayneh Densamo.
In 1998, the world record for women was set byTegla Loroupe, in a time of 2:20.47. Loroupe won the Rotterdam Marathon three consecutive times, from 1997 to 1999.
The track record for men is held byBashir Abdi, who ran a time of 2:03.36 in 2021. The female record was set in 2012 whenTiki Gelana finished the race in 2:18.58. Gelana went on to become the 2012 Olympic champion in London, a few months later.
The marathon starts and ends on theCoolsingel in the heart of Rotterdam. It attracts a total of 900,000 visitors.
Since 1972, Rotterdam hosts the indoor hard courtABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, part of theATP Tour. The event was first organised in 1972 when it was won byArthur Ashe. Ashe went on to win the tournament two more times, making him the singles title record holder.
FormerWimbledon winnerRichard Krajicek became the tournament director after his retirement in 2000. The latest edition of the tournament attracted a total of 116,354 visitors.[96]
In November 2008 Rotterdam was chosen as the host of theGrand Départ of the2010 Tour de France.Rotterdam won the selection over the Dutch city ofUtrecht. Germany's Düsseldorf had previously also expressed interest in hosting. TheAmaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the organizer of the Tour de France, said in a statement on its web site that it chose Rotterdam because, in addition to it being another big city, like London, to showcase the use of bikes for urban transportation, it provided a location well-positioned considering the rest of the route envisioned for the 2010 event. The start in Rotterdam was the fifth to take place in the Netherlands. Theprologue was a 7 km (4.35 mi) individual time trial crossing the centre of the city. The first regular stage left theErasmusbrug and went south, towards Brussels.[97]
Infield hockey, Rotterdam has the largest hockey club in the Netherlands,HC Rotterdam, with its own stadium in the north of the city and nearly 2,400 members. The first men's and women's teams both play on the highest level in the DutchHoofdklasse.
Rotterdam has a long boxing tradition starting withBep van Klaveren (1907–1992), aka 'The Dutch Windmill', Gold medal winner of the 1928Amsterdam Olympics, followed by professional boxers likeRegilio Tuur and Don Diego Poeder.
Rotterdam's swimming tradition started withMarie Braun aka Zus (sister) Braun, who was coached to a gold medal at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics by her mother Ma Braun, and 3 European titles three years later in Paris. In her career as 14-time national champ, she broke 6 world records. Ma Braun later also coached the Rotterdam-born, three-times Olympic championRie Mastenbroek during the Berlin Olympics in 1936. In later yearsInge de Bruijn became a Rotterdam sports icon as triple Olympic Gold medal winner in 2000 and triple European Gold medal winner in 2001.
Motorcycle speedway was staged in the Feyenoord Stadium after the second world war. The team which raced in a Dutch league was known as the Feyenoord Tigers. The team included Dutch riders and some English and Australian riders.
Dex Elmont, a Rotterdam-born judoka, who finished second in the European championships in 2009 in the 65 to 73 kg (143 to 161 lb) division.
Guillaume Elmont, a Rotterdam-born judoka, who became world champion in 2005 in the 73 to 81 kg (161 to 179 lb) division.
Francisco Elson, a Rotterdam-born basketball player who played in the NBA, won the NBA finals in 2007 with theSan Antonio Spurs.
Ignisious Gaisah, a Ghanaian-born long jumper with a personal best of 8.43 m (27.66 ft), residing in Rotterdam since 2001. Gaisah is a multiple medal winner in several international events, both as a citizen of Ghana and the Netherlands.
Francis Hoenselaar, a Rotterdam-born female darts player, generally recognised as the best Dutch female darts player ever.
Robert Lathouwers, an athlete born in a Rotterdam suburb, specialised in the 800 m. Lathouwers gained international notoriety when he got disqualified after shoving Irish athleteDavid McCarthy in the 2010 European Championships.
Fatima Moreira de Melo, a Rotterdam-born, three-times Olympic champion in field hockey. Moreira de Melo is a professional poker player.
Piet Roozenburg, a Rotterdam-born draughts player, who was the world champion from 1948 to 1956 and the 8-time Dutch champion.
Betty Stöve, a Rotterdam-born retired female tennis double specialist and 10-time Grand Slam winner.
Ingmar Vos, a Rotterdam-born decathlete, with a personal best of 8224 points.
Rotterdam hosts several annual events unique to the city. It hosts theZomercarnaval (Summer carnaval), the second-largest Caribbean carnival in Europe, originally called the Antillean carnival. Other events include: North Sea Jazz Festival, the largest Jazz festival in Europe, and a three-day long maritime extravaganza called the World Port Days celebrating the Port of Rotterdam.
Much smaller than the international hubSchiphol Airport,Rotterdam The Hague Airport (formerly known asZestienhoven) is the third-largestairport in the country, behindSchiphol Airport andEindhoven Airport. Located north of the city, it has shown solid growth over the past five years, mostly caused by the growth of thelow-cost carrier market. For business travellers, Rotterdam The Hague Airport offers advantages in terms of rapid handling of passengers and baggage. Environmental regulations make further growth uncertain.
Night services every hour connecting every day of the week to Delft, The Hague, Leiden, Schiphol airport, Amsterdam, and, with a detour, Utrecht. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday night services (either directly or via a detour) to Den Bosch, Eindhoven, Tilburg, Roosendaal.
Several semi-fast services and local trains originate or call at Rotterdam Centraal; semi-fast services Amsterdam-Breda.
In 1968, Rotterdam was the first Dutch city to open ametro system. The metro system consists of three main lines, each of which has its own variants. The metro network has 78.3 km (48.7 mi) of rail tracks, and there are 70 stations, which makes it the biggest of the Benelux. 5 lines operate the system; 3 lines (A, B and C) on the east–west line, and two (D and E) on the north–south line. Line E (Randstadrail) connects Rotterdam with The Hague as of December 2011.
TheRotterdam tramway network offers 9 regular tram lines and 4 special tram lines with a total length of 93.4 km (58.0 mi). ServiceTramlines in Rotterdam as of 2016[update]:
2: (Rotterdam) Charlois – Rotterdam Lombardijen NS – (Rotterdam) Keizerswaard (runs only to the southern part of the city)
10: historical tram line, only runs a few months a year and throughout the whole city for tourist information. Using historical Rotterdam Trams from the year 1931.
18: tramline from Rotterdam Central Station towards Park, runs only at the Dunya Festival and during the Rotterdam World Port Days.
12: Rotterdam Centraal – Stadion Feyenoord or Rotterdam Centraal – Het Kasteel ('The Castle', Sparta Stadium). Football tramline, only for big fixtures at Stadion Feyenoord or Het Kasteel.
Snert-tram: historical tram, only in winter as a tourist tram through Rotterdam. Passengers are provided with a cup of "snert"; Rotterdam dialect for erwtensoep (pea soup). Rolling stock is a historical Rotterdam tram from 1968.
IJsjes-tram: summer version of the snert tram, providing tourists with ice cream rather than pea soup.
Rotterdam offers 55 city bus lines with a total length of 432.7 km (268.9 mi).
RET runs buses in the city of Rotterdam and surrounding places like Barendrecht, Ridderkerk, Rhoon, Poortugaal, Schiedam, Vlaardingen, Delft and Capelle aan den IJssel.
Arriva Netherlands, Connexxion, Qbuzz and Veolia run buses from other cities to Rotterdam.
The Foundation RoMeO (Rotterdam Public Transport Museum and Exploitation of Oldtimers) was founded in 1997 to bring together various historical transport collections into one collection. Currently, the joint collection consists of more than sixty trams, twenty buses and an underground metro dating from 1967. Since 2010 theRotterdam Public Transport Museum is housed in the monumental tram depot Hillegersberg from 1923.[112]
The Waterbus network consists of seven lines. The mainline (Line 20) stretches from Rotterdam to Dordrecht. The ferry carries about 130 passengers, and there is space for 60bicycles. The stops between Rotterdam and Dordrecht are:
Rotterdam has city and port connections throughout the world. In 2008, the city had 13sister cities, 12 partner cities, and 4 sister ports.[113] Since 2008, the City of Rotterdam does not forge new sister or partner connections. Sister and partner cities are not a priority in international relations.[114]
On 15 March 2017, the Turkish president expressed his wish thatIstanbul should no longer be the twin town of Rotterdam. A speaker of the Rotterdam municipality then explained that the two cities have no official partnership. Both authorities do cooperate often.[115]
White dishU.S.A. BICENTENNIAL TOWN OF ROTTERDAM, N.Y. 1776–1976, with black coat of arms and cityscapes
Thetown of Rotterdam, located in the U.S. state ofNew York, was founded in 1661 by Dutchsettlers, who named it after the city of Rotterdam in theNetherlands, where many immigrants last touched European grounds.[117] The town borders thecity ofSchenectady. Founded as a 'first class town' in 1942, Rotterdam has since adopted the Old World Rotterdam coat of arms along with the mottoSterker door Strijd (Stronger through Effort).[118]
Rotterdam features in J.T.Sheridan Le Fanu's "Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter" (1839).
In episode 2 of the first series ofSurvivors Greg Preston says "Rotterdam was burning, just miles and miles of fire. Oil tanks going off like bombs."
In season 1, episode 2 ofThe Golden Girls ("Guess Who's Coming to the Wedding?"),Dorothy reminisces how her ex-husband, Stan, would buy her tulips after they fought. "Towards the end, our house looked like Easter in Rotterdam."
InBattlefield V, this city is used as a map released on its two of its maps on launch, which are Rotterdam and Devastation, and featured theBritish Army fighting against theWehrmacht and according to its history, thewhite building was almost left untouched by the bombing during WWII and that building can be seen on both in-game and real world.
^This number includesThe Hague and its suburbs. Since 2014, Rotterdam, The Hague and 22 other municipalities agreed to optimize their performance as a single, large metropolitan region.[4]
^Residents with a mixed background are counted in the non-Dutch groupings
^"College van b en w" [Board of mayor and aldermen] (in Dutch). Gemeente Rotterdam.Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved10 December 2014.
^"Over de Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag". MRDH.nl. 2014.Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved7 October 2014.De Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag is het gebied dat nu de huidige stadregio's Rotterdam en Haaglanden omvat. Binnen dat gebied gaan de 24 gemeenten hun krachten bundelen in het samenwerkingsverband Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag om de internationale concurrentiepositie van de regio te versterken. De Metropoolregio regio heeft 2,2 miljoen inwoners.
^"Postcodetool for 3011AD".Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis.Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved20 August 2013.
^Wells, John C. (2008),Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.), Longman,ISBN9781405881180
^Roach, Peter (2011),Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,ISBN9780521152532
^Vredenbregt, A.H.L.; Van Trierum, M. C. (2012). "7.6: Dating of the occupation and the different occupation phases".Rotterdam Markthal, Archeological Research(PDF) (in Dutch) (1 ed.). Rotterdam: Bureau Oudheidkundig Onderzoek Rotterdam. p. 81.Archived(PDF) from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved3 January 2021.The habitation phase [...] starts in the middle of the 10th century (circa 950) and continues until [...] around the middle of the 11th century (circa 1050-1060). (translated)
^Tretsch, John. "Extra! Extra! Poe invents science fiction!" as collected inThe Cambridge Companion to Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Kevin J. Hayes. Cambridge University Press, 2002: 117.ISBN0-521-79727-6
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