Rotterdam in numbers
From ruins to skyline
- 1340City rights
A small fishing town at a dam in the river Rotte.
- 1620The Pilgrims leave from Delfshaven
On their way to America via England.
- 1940Bombing of the centre
Nearly the whole medieval centre is destroyed.
- 1950s+A modern rebuild
The Lijnbaan, one of Europe's first car-free shopping streets, opens in 1953.
- 1984Cube houses
Piet Blom's tilted yellow cubes at Blaak.
- 2014Markthal
A horseshoe of apartments arching over a food market.
Neighbourhoods at a glance
High-rise living near the Markthal and the shopping streets.
Waterfront towers across the Erasmus Bridge, with the old Hotel New York.
Green, with a lake and woods; popular with students and families.
Historic harbour that survived the war, with a village feel.
Quiet streets near the zoo and Rotterdam Centraal.
Things to do
- Climb or dine at the Euromast for a view over the port.
- Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen: the world's first publicly accessible art depot, a mirrored bowl.
- A water taxi or harbour tour past the cranes and container ships.
- Day trip to the Kinderdijk windmills, 30 minutes away.
- Football at De Kuip (Feyenoord) or the North Sea Jazz festival in July.
Sources
This article is based on these official pages. If anything here differs from them, the official page is right.
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