Oude Noorden (Old North) is an area of north

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and is part of the borough

Noord Noord () is a town and region in Aruba (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands). This town is known for its low rise and high rise hotels, restaurants, beaches, malls, the California Lighthouse, and other places of attraction. Places of interest ...

. It has approximately 18,000 inhabitants. The district has much pre

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

architecture still in existence. It has a vibrant though somewhat discreet artistic community.

The construction of the district

Oude Noorden is a typical residential area which was destined for the crowded city of

to relief. The first houses were built in 1870 around the Noordsingel, which was part of the single plan of city architect Willem Nicolaas Rose. However, it was stipulated that the workers' houses were not allowed to be built on the Noordsingel. For the rest of the neighborhood were wide streets with large blocks provided. But the streets were narrow and the houses were built close together. Between 1870 and 1930 expanded the area further and further to the north, which in 1903 became necessary to annexing a part of the territory of Hillegersberg.

Shopping and touristic areas

Oude Noorden is home to several shopping areas. The Zwart Janstraat and Noordmolenstraat together make up the 'Noorderboulevard', which is home to many (multicultural) stores. The adjacent Zwaanshals and neighboring Noordplein and Zaagmolenkade have seen an influx of small stores after makeovers of the buildings. In the early 20th century, the Noordplein was home to regular outdoor markets. Today it is home to many other events, such as markets, carnavals, music festivals and food festivals.Noordpleinrotterdam.nl
/ref> In recent years, there has been an increase of these events, which has brought activity back to this area.

Present and future

After years of deterioration, quality of life in Oude Noorden has been improved significantly by the submunicipality and housing corporations. The shopping districts Zwart Janstraat, Noordmolenstraat and adjacent Zwaanshals are now home to many multicultural stores. Both the government and the housing corporations are attempting to build up the image of the neighborhood.

Architecture

Oude Noorden is a mixture of architectural styles. Most notable are the styles of the 20th century and the urban renewal in the 1980s. The district is compact with a high number of inhabitants per square kilometer. Notable buildings are the bandstand at the Pijnackerplein, and the Convent of the Ruivenstraat. In the third Pijnackerstraat is the building in which the oldest neighbourhood

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

of the Netherlands was established.

Notable residents

Many notable Dutch people are from the Oude Noorden.

Coen Moulijn Coenraadt "Coen" Moulijn (15 February 1937 – 4 January 2011) was a Dutch Association football, footballer who played for Feyenoord from 1955 to 1972 and was part of their UEFA Champions League, European Cup victory in European Cup 1969-70, 1970 ...

Willem de Kooning Willem de Kooning (; ; April 24, 1904 – March 19, 1997) was a Dutch-American abstract expressionist artist. He was born in Rotterdam and moved to the United States in 1926, becoming an American citizen in 1962. In 1943, he married painter El ...

Patricia Paay Patricia Anglaia Margareth Paaij (born 7 April 1949), best known as Patricia Paay, is a Dutch singer, radio host, glamour model and television personality. In the Netherlands, she is well known for her musical career, which spans over four decade ...

Wim Jansen Wilhelmus Marinus Antonius Jansen (; 28 October 1946 – 25 January 2022) was a Dutch professional football player and manager. As a midfielder or defender, he spent most of his career at Feyenoord, winning honours including the European Cup ...

Faas Wilkes Servaas "Faas" Wilkes (, 13 October 1923 – 15 August 2006) was a Dutch football forward, who earned a total of 38 caps for the Dutch national team, in which he scored 35 goals (average 0.92 goals per game). However, for a prolonged period of ...

Yvonne Keeley Yvonne Keeley (born Yvonne Paaij, 6 September 1952) is a Dutch pop music singer. She is the sister of Patricia Paay. She began her career as a session singer in the music industry in London. She was the girlfriend of Steve Harley of Steve ...

and

Rita Reys Rita Reys (born Maria Everdina Reijs; 21 December 1924 – 28 July 2013) was a jazz singer from the Netherlands. She was promoted as "Europe's First Lady of Jazz". In the 1980s, Rita returned to the American Songbook, recording albums such as ...

are born in the district. There is a monument for soccer player Coen Moulijn, the wall of Coen Moulijn. It is in the Bloklandstraat where he lived for years, the street where Wim Jansen also grew up.

References

{{Authority control Neighbourhoods of Rotterdam