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Rotterdam ( , , ; lit. "The Dam on the River Rotte") is the second-largest
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the province of
South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...
, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"New Meuse"'' inland shipping channel, dug to connect to the Meuse at first and now to the Rhine. Rotterdam's history goes back to 1270, when a dam was constructed in the Rotte. In 1340, Rotterdam was granted city rights by
William IV, Count of Holland William II (1307 – 26 September 1345) was Count of Hainaut from 1337 until his death. He was also Count of Holland (as William IV) and Count of Zeeland. He succeeded his father, Count William I of Hainaut. While away fighting in Prussia, the ...
. The Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, with a population of approximately 2.7 million, is the 10th-largest in the European Union and the most populous in the country. A major logistic and economic centre, Rotterdam is Europe's largest seaport. In 2022, Rotterdam had a population of 655,468 and is home to over 180 different nationalities. Rotterdam is known for its university, riverside setting, lively cultural life, maritime heritage and modern architecture. The near-complete destruction of the city centre in the World War II Rotterdam Blitz has resulted in a varied architectural landscape, including
skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
s designed by architects such as
Rem Koolhaas Remment Lucas Koolhaas (; born 17 November 1944) is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He is often cited as a re ...
,
Piet Blom Piet Blom (; February 8, 1934, Amsterdam – June 8, 1999, Denmark) was a Dutch architect best known for his 'Kubuswoningen' (cube houses) built in Helmond in the mid-1970s and in Rotterdam in the early 1980s. He studied at the Amsterdam Academy ...
and
Ben van Berkel Ben van Berkel (born 1957) is a Dutch architect; founder and principal architect of the architectural practice UNStudio. With his studio he designed, among others, the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, the Moebius House in the Netherlands, the Mercede ...
. The Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt give waterway access into the heart of Western Europe, including the highly industrialized
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
. The extensive distribution system including rail, roads, and waterways have earned Rotterdam the nicknames "Gateway to Europe" and "Gateway to the World".


History


Early history

The settlement at the lower end of the fen stream '' Rotte'' (or ''Rotta'', as it was then known, from ''rot'', "muddy" and ''a'', "water", thus "muddy water") dates from at least the year 950. Around 1150, large floods in the area ended development, leading to the construction of protective
dikes Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes, ...
and dams, including ''Schielands Hoge Zeedijk'' ("Schieland's High Sea Dike") along the northern banks of the present-day Nieuwe Maas river. A dam on the Rotte was built in the 1260s and was located at the present-day ''Hoogstraat'' ("High Street"). On 7 July 1340, Count Willem IV of Holland granted
city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...
to Rotterdam, whose population then was only a few thousand. Around the year 1350, a shipping canal (the '' Rotterdamse 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 and Germany, and to urbanize. Beginning in the 1600's, Rotterdam was involved in the
Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...
. According to historian Gerhard de Kok, "Rotterdam merchants were the pioneers of the Dutch slave trade". From the 17th century until 1814, when the United Netherlands abolished the Netherland's involvement in the slave trade at the request of the
British government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...
, Dutch slave ships from Rotterdam sailed to Africa and the
Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...
as part of the triangular trade. Rotterdam merchants also sold significant quantities of gunpowder to Zeeland-based slave ships. The port of Rotterdam grew slowly but steadily into a port of importance, becoming the seat of one of the six "chambers" of the ''Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie'' (VOC), the Dutch East India Company and one of the five "chambers" of the '' West-Indische Compagnie'' (WIC), the
Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...
. The greatest spurt of growth, both in port activity and population, followed the completion of the Nieuwe Waterweg in 1872. The city and harbour started to expand on the south bank of the river. The ''
Witte Huis The Witte Huis () or White House is a building and National Heritage Site in Rotterdam, Netherlands, built in 1898 in the Art Nouveau style.Rijksmonument report The building is tall, with 10 floors. It was also the first ''hoogbouw'' (liter ...
'' or ''White House'' skyscraper, inspired by American office buildings and built in 1898 in the French
Art Nouveau style Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual idea In common usage and in philosophy, ideas are ...
, is evidence of Rotterdam's rapid growth and success. When completed, it was the tallest office building in Europe, with a height of .


20th century

During World 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. During World War II, the German army invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940. 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 the bombing of Rotterdam on 14 May and the threat of bombing other Dutch cities. The heart of Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed by the Luftwaffe. 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 statue ''
De Verwoeste Stad ''The Destroyed City'' (Dutch: ''De verwoeste stad'') is a bronze memorial sculpture in the Dutch city of Rotterdam. It commemorates the German bombing of Rotterdam on 14 May 1940, which destroyed the medieval centre of the city. Unveiled in 19 ...
'' ('The Destroyed City'). The statue stands near the Leuvehaven, not far from the Erasmusbrug 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 in
Sobibór Sobibor (, Polish: ) was an extermination camp built and operated by Nazi Germany as part of Operation Reinhard. It was located in the forest near the village of Żłobek Duży in the General Government region of German-occupied Poland. As ...
and
Auschwitz-Birkenau Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...
. Research in 2000 showed that 144 people survived the deportations. In 2013 the was unveiled. In January 1948, Queen Wilhelmina presented the motto 'Sterker door strijd' (Stronger through effort) as part of the
coat of arms of Rotterdam The coat of arms of Rotterdam is the official symbol of the city of Rotterdam. It consists of a shield and has a green band of the original weapon of Weena, bisected by a white band symbolizes the Rotte, two golden lions, and four lions, two bl ...
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 the Lijnbaan 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. The new Central Station was completed in 1957, with the Groothandelsgebouw from 1953 next to it. The
Euromast Euromast is an observation tower in Rotterdam, Netherlands, designed by Hugh Maaskant constructed between 1958 and 1960. It was specially built for the 1960 Floriade, and is a listed monument since 2010. The tower is a concrete structure with an ...
was erected in 1960 on the occasion of the Floriade. 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 of
apartment An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...
s, office buildings and recreation facilities resulted in a more '
livable Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...
' city centre with a new skyline. In the 1990s, the
Kop van Zuid Kop van Zuid () is a neighborhood of Rotterdam, Netherlands, located on the south bank of the Nieuwe Maas opposite the center of town. The district is relatively young and includes the Wilhelmina Pier as well as the ''V'' bounded by the Rose Stre ...
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. A profile of Rem Koolhaas in '' The 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".


Geography

Rotterdam is divided into a northern and a southern part by the river Nieuwe Maas, connected by (from west to east): the Beneluxtunnel; the Maastunnel; the Erasmusbrug; a subway tunnel; the Willemsspoortunnel ('Willems railway tunnel'); the Willemsbrug ('Willems Bridge') together with the Koninginnebrug ('Queen's Bridge'); and the Van Brienenoordbrug ('Van Brienenoord Bridge'). The former railway lift bridge
De Hef De Hef (), officially Koningshaven Bridge, is a vertical-lift bridge over the Koningshaven (Kings Harbor) channel at the port of Rotterdam, Netherlands. Built in 1927, the bridge was part of the Breda–Rotterdam railway line until it was decom ...
('the Lift') is preserved as a
Rijksmonument A rijksmonument (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands ...
(national heritage site) in lifted position between the Noordereiland ('North Island') and the south of Rotterdam. 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 as
Kop van Zuid Kop van Zuid () is a neighborhood of Rotterdam, Netherlands, located on the south bank of the Nieuwe Maas opposite the center of town. The district is relatively young and includes the Wilhelmina Pier as well as the ''V'' bounded by the Rose Stre ...
('the Head of South', i.e. the northern part of southern Rotterdam). From its inland core, Rotterdam reaches the North 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 below sea level, or rather below
Normaal Amsterdams Peil Amsterdam Ordnance Datum or ' (NAP) is a vertical datum in use in large parts of Western Europe. Originally created for use in the Netherlands, its height was used by Prussia in 1879 for defining ', and in 1955 by other European countries. In the ...
(NAP) or 'Amsterdam Ordnance Datum'. The lowest point in the Netherlands ( below NAP) is situated just to the east of Rotterdam, in the municipality of Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel. The Rotte 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 artificial beach 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 of sand, about . Alternatively, people go to the beach of Hook of Holland (which is a Rotterdam district) or one of the beaches in Zeeland: Renesse or the Zuid Hollandse Eilanden: Ouddorp,
Oostvoorne Oostvoorne is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westvoorne, and lies about north of Hellevoetsluis. In 2001, the town of Oostvoorne had 5,403 inhabitants, the built-up area of the town was , and ...
. Rotterdam forms the centre of the Rijnmond conurbation, bordering the conurbation surrounding The Hague to the north-west. The two conurbations are close enough to be a single conurbation. They share the Rotterdam The Hague Airport and a light rail system called RandstadRail. 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 (the
Zuidvleugel Zuidvleugel (, literally "south wing") is the band of cities and towns located along the southern wing of the Randstad in the Netherlands. It is that part of the Randstad that is located in the Province of South Holland. This developing conurbat ...
) of the Randstad, 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 the sixth-largest urban area in Europe (after Moscow, London, Paris, Istanbul, and the Rhein-Ruhr Area). The Zuidvleugel, situated in the province of
South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...
, has a population of around 3 million.


Climate

Rotterdam experiences a temperate
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
( Köppen climate classification ''Cfb'') 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 higher relative humidity. The city has an urban heat island, especially inside the city centre.


Demographics

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. Those with higher education and higher income live disproportionately in the city centre, as do foreign-born citizens.


Composition

The municipality of Rotterdam is part of the Rotterdam–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. Its population peaked at 731,564 in 1965, but the dual processes of suburbanization and counterurbanization saw this number steadily decline over the next 2 decades, reaching 560,000 by 1985. 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. Rotterdam consists of 14 submunicipalities: Centrum, Charlois (including Heijplaat),
Delfshaven Delfshaven is a borough of Rotterdam, Netherlands, on the right bank of river Nieuwe Maas. It was a separate municipality until 1886. The town of Delfshaven grew around the port of the city of Delft. Delft itself was not located on a major river ...
,
Feijenoord Feijenoord (), not to be confused with the Feijenoord (neighbourhood), Feijenoord neighbourhood (which is located in the Feijenoord district), is a district in Rotterdam and is located south of the Nieuwe Maas. As of 1 January 2004 there were 72,3 ...
, Hillegersberg-Schiebroek, Hook of Holland, Hoogvliet, IJsselmonde, Kralingen-Crooswijk,
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 ...
,
Overschie Overschie is a neighborhood of Rotterdam, Netherlands, formerly a separate village with its own municipality. The village of Overschie was located on the intersection of four rivers called "Schie": the Delftsche Schie, Schiedamsche Schie, Delfs ...
, Pernis, and Prins Alexander (the most populous submunicipality with around 85,000 inhabitants). One other area, Rozenburg, does have an official submunicipality status since 18 March 2010. Since the status of a
submunicipality A deelgemeente (, literally ''part-municipality'') or section (French) is a subdivision of a municipality in Belgium and, until March 2014, in the Netherlands as well. Belgium Each municipality in Belgium that existed as a separate entity on 1 Ja ...
was lifted on 19 March 2014, it became an integral part of the municipality of Rotterdam. The size of the municipality of Rotterdam is the result of the amalgamation of the following former municipalities, some of which were a
submunicipality A deelgemeente (, literally ''part-municipality'') or section (French) is a subdivision of a municipality in Belgium and, until March 2014, in the Netherlands as well. Belgium Each municipality in Belgium that existed as a separate entity on 1 Ja ...
prior to 19 March 2014: *
Delfshaven Delfshaven is a borough of Rotterdam, Netherlands, on the right bank of river Nieuwe Maas. It was a separate municipality until 1886. The town of Delfshaven grew around the port of the city of Delft. Delft itself was not located on a major river ...
(added on 30 January 1886) * Charlois (added on 28 February 1895) *
Kralingen Kralingen is a former village in the Dutch province of South Holland, now a neighbourhood of Rotterdam. It is located about 3 kilometres east of the city centre, in the borough Kralingen-Crooswijk. Kralingen was a separate municipality until 1895 ...
(added on 28 February 1895) * Hoogvliet (added on 1 May 1934) * Pernis (added on 1 May 1934) *
Hillegersberg Hillegersberg is a neighbourhood of Rotterdam, Netherlands. Primarily a green residential area with lakes, canals and parks, it was incorporated into the city of Rotterdam in 1941. History Hillegersberg was named after Hildegard van Vlaandere ...
(added on 1 August 1941) * IJsselmonde (added on 1 August 1941) *
Overschie Overschie is a neighborhood of Rotterdam, Netherlands, formerly a separate village with its own municipality. The village of Overschie was located on the intersection of four rivers called "Schie": the Delftsche Schie, Schiedamsche Schie, Delfs ...
(added on 1 August 1941) * Schiebroek (added on 1 August 1941) * Rozenburg (added on 18 March 2010)


Origin background makeup

In the Netherlands, Rotterdam has the highest percentage of residents with a recent migration 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. The mayor of Rotterdam,
Ahmed Aboutaleb Ahmed Aboutaleb ( ar, أحمد أبو طالب; born 29 August 1961) is a Dutch politician of Moroccan origin, he is of the Labour Party (PvdA) and a journalist. He has been the Mayor of Rotterdam since 5 January 2009. Early life and career ...
, is of Moroccan descent and is a practicing Muslim. The city is home to the largest Dutch Antillean community. The city also has its own China Town at the West-Kruiskade, close to Rotterdam Centraal.


Religion

Christianity is the largest religion in Rotterdam, with 36.3% of the population identifying. The second and third largest religions are
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
(13.1%) and Hinduism (3.3%), while about half of the population has no religious affiliation. Since 1795 Rotterdam has hosted the chief congregation of the liberal Protestant brotherhood of
Remonstrants The Remonstrants (or the Remonstrant Brotherhood) is a Protestant movement that had split from the Dutch Reformed Church in the early 17th century. The early Remonstrants supported Jacobus Arminius, and after his death, continued to maintain his ...
. From 1955 it has been the seat of the Catholic
bishop of Rotterdam The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rotterdam is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in South Holland province of the Netherlands. The diocese is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht. Since 2011, the ...
when the Rotterdam diocese was split from the Haarlem diocese. Since 2010 the city is home to the largest mosque in the Netherlands, the Essalam mosque (capacity 1,500).


Politics

The municipal council consists of 45 members, the largest party is
Livable Rotterdam Livable Rotterdam ( nl, Leefbaar Rotterdam) is a local political party in the municipality of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, which was founded by Ronald Sørensen in 2001. Livable Rotterdam won the council elections of March 2002 due to the chari ...
. The municipal executive consists of mayor
Ahmed Aboutaleb Ahmed Aboutaleb ( ar, أحمد أبو طالب; born 29 August 1961) is a Dutch politician of Moroccan origin, he is of the Labour Party (PvdA) and a journalist. He has been the Mayor of Rotterdam since 5 January 2009. Early life and career ...
and nine elderman, belonging to four parties.


Economy

Rotterdam has always been one of the main centres of the shipping industry in the Netherlands. From the Rotterdam Chamber of the
VOC VOC, VoC or voc may refer to: Science and technology * Open-circuit voltage (VOC), the voltage between two terminals when there is no external load connected * Variant of concern, a category used during the assessment of a new variant of a virus * ...
, the world's first multinational, established in 1602, to the merchant shipping leader Royal
Nedlloyd Nedlloyd was a Dutch shipping company, formed in 1970 as the result of a merger of several shipping lines: *Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland (SMN) *Koninklijke Rotterdamsche Lloyd (KRL) *Koninklijke Java-China-Paketvaart-Lijnen (KJCPL) *Vereen ...
established in 1970, with its corporate headquarters located in the landmark building the 'Willemswerf' in 1988. In 1997, Nedlloyd merged with the British shipping industry leader P&O forming the third largest merchant shipping company in the world. The Anglo-Dutch
P&O Nedlloyd P&O Nedlloyd Container Line Limited was an Anglo-Dutch worldwide ocean-going container shipping line, with dual headquarters in London and Rotterdam. The company was formed in 1997 by the merger of the container-shipping interests of Dutch trans ...
was bought by the Danish giant corporation 'AP Moller Maersk' in 2005 and its Dutch operations are still headquartered in the 'Willemswerf'. Nowadays, well-known companies with headquarters in Rotterdam are consumer goods company Unilever (since 2020 London), asset management firm Robeco, energy company Eneco, dredging company Van Oord, oil company Royal Dutch Shell (since 2021 London), terminal operator Vopak, commodity trading company Vitol and architecture firm
Office for Metropolitan Architecture The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) is an international architectural firm with offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong, Doha, and Australia. The firm is currently led by eight partners - Rem Koolhaas, Reinier de Graaf, Ellen van ...
. It is also home to the regional headquarters of chemical company
LyondellBasell LyondellBasell Industries N.V. is a multinational chemical company incorporated in the Netherlands with U.S. operations headquartered in Houston, Texas, and offices in London, UK. The company is the largest licensor of polyethylene and polypro ...
, commodities trading company
Glencore Glencore plc is a Swiss multinational commodity trading and mining company with headquarters in Baar, Switzerland. Glencore's oil and gas head office is in London and its registered office is in Saint Helier, Jersey. The current company was c ...
, pharmaceutical company Pfizer, logistics companies Stolt-Nielsen, electrical equipment company ABB and consumer goods company Procter & Gamble. Furthermore, Rotterdam has the Dutch headquarters of
Allianz Allianz ( , ) is a German multinational financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core businesses are insurance and asset management. The company is one of the world's largest insurers and financial services groups. The ...
, Maersk,
Petrobras Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., better known by the portmanteau Petrobras (), is a state owned enterprise, state-owned Brazilian multinational corporation in the petroleum industry headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The company's name transla ...
, Samskip,
Louis Dreyfus Group Louis Dreyfus Company B.V. (LDC), also called the Louis-Dreyfus Group, is a French merchant firm that is involved in agriculture, food processing, international shipping, and finance. The company owns and manages hedge funds, ocean vessels, dev ...
,
Aon Aon or AON may refer to: * Aon (mythology), son of Poseidon in Greek mythology * ''Aon'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Erebidae * Aon (trigraph), a Latin trigraph * "Aon", a composition by jazz pianist Harold Mabern, 1968 Business an ...
and MP Objects. The City of Rotterdam makes use of the services of semi-government companies Roteb (to take care of sanitation, waste management and assorted services) and the Port of Rotterdam Authority (to maintain the Port of Rotterdam). Both these companies were once municipal bodies; now they are autonomous entities, owned by the city. 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. Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe, with the rivers Maas and Rhine providing excellent access to the hinterland upstream reaching to Basel, Switzerland and into France. In 2004 Shanghai took over as the world's busiest container port. In 2006, Rotterdam was the world's seventh largest container port in terms of
twenty-foot equivalent unit The twenty-foot equivalent unit (abbreviated TEU or teu) is an inexact unit of cargo capacity, often used for container ships and container ports.Rowlett, 2004. It is based on the volume of a intermodal container, a standard-sized metal box whic ...
s (TEU) handled. The port's main activities are petrochemical industries and general cargo handling and transshipment. The harbour functions as an important transit point for bulk materials between the European continent and overseas. From Rotterdam, goods are transported by ship, river barge, train or road. In 2007, the '' Betuweroute'', a new fast freight railway from Rotterdam to Germany, was completed. Well-known streets in Rotterdam are the Lijnbaan (the first set of pedestrian streets of the country, opened in 1953), the Hoogstraat, the Coolsingel with the city hall, which was renovated between 2018 and 2021 giving cyclists and pedestrians more space, car traffic was reduced from 4 lanes (2 in each direction) to 2 lanes (1 in each direction). Another mainstreet is the Weena, which runs from the Central Station to the Hofplein (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 like Michael Kors, 7 For All Mankind,
Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and ...
, Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger and the Dutch well-known men's clothier
Oger Oger may refer to: __NOTOC__ * Ogre, Latvia * Oger, Marne, France * Saudi Oger, a Saudi construction company People with the name Given name * Oger Klos (born 1993), Dutch professional footballer Surname * Thomas Oger (born 1980), Monegasque tenn ...
. Another upscale shopping venue is a flagship store of department store De Bijenkorf. Located a little more to the east is the Markthal, 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 to Rotterdam 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.


Education

Rotterdam has one major university, the Erasmus 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 Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (or RSM) is the international business school of the Erasmus University Rotterdam located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. RSM offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes taught mostly in English, ...
. In Financial 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 the CEMS Master in Management and the tenth place with its RSM Master in Management. 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. The Willem de Kooning Academy 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 the Willem de Kooning Academy is the
Piet Zwart Institute The Piet Zwart Institute is a post-graduate institute for study and research in art, media and design based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Named in memory of the Dutch designer Piet Zwart, it was inaugurated in 2001. The current postgraduate study p ...
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 the
Erasmus Medical Center Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC or EMC) based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, affiliated with Erasmus University and home to its faculty of medicine, is the largest and one of the most authoritative scientific University Medical Centers in ...
. This center is ranked third in Europe by CSIC as a hospital, and is also ranked within top 50 universities of the world in the field of medicine (clinical, pre-clinical & health, 2017). Three '' Hogescholen'' (Universities of applied sciences) exist in Rotterdam. These schools award their students a professional Bachelor's degree and postgraduate or Master's degree. The three ''Hogescholen'' are
Hogeschool Rotterdam The Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (abbreviated as ''Rotterdam UAS''; nl, Hogeschool Rotterdam) is located in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was created in 1988 by a large-scale merger of 19 higher education schools followed b ...
,
Hogeschool Inholland Inholland University of Applied Sciences (; ; ) is a university of applied sciences with its campuses located in 8 different cities placed throughout the western Netherlands with an education campus in every main city of the Randstad – the cou ...
and Codarts University for the Arts (Codarts hogeschool voor de kunsten), a vocational university that teaches music, dance and circus. Unique to the city is the Shipping & Transport College which offers masters, bachelors and vocational diplomas on all levels.


Culture

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 for architecture, 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, the
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (RPhO; nl, Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest) is a Dutch symphony orchestra based in Rotterdam. Its primary venue is the concert hall De Doelen. The RPhO is considered one of the Netherlands' two principal orc ...
, with its well-regarded young music director
Lahav Shani Lahav Shani ( he, להב שני; born 7 January 1989, Tel Aviv) is an Israeli conductor and pianist. Biography Shani is the son of Michael Shani, a choral conductor. He began piano lessons at age 6 with Hannah Shalgi. He continued his piano st ...
, which plays at the congress and concert building ''
De Doelen De Doelen is a concert venue and convention centre in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was originally built in 1934 but then destroyed in 1940 during the German bombardment of Rotterdam in May 1940 at the outset of World War II. It was rebuilt in 19 ...
''. The Ahoy 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, including LantarenVenster and Cinerama. Alongside Porto, Rotterdam was European Capital of Culture in 2001.


Museums, libraries and archives

Rotterdam has various cultural institutions. Well-known museums are the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen,
Het Nieuwe Instituut Het Nieuwe Instituut (HNI, English: The New Institute) is a cultural centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It focuses on architecture, design, and digital culture. HNI is in a building designed by Jo Coenen at Museumpark 25 in the centre of Rott ...
, the
Wereldmuseum The Wereldmuseum Rotterdam (formerly known as the Museum voor Land- en Volkenkunde) is an ethnographic museum, situated at Willemskade in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The museum was founded in 1883 and shows more than 1800 ethnographic objects fro ...
, the Kunsthal,
Kunstinstituut Melly Kunstinstituut Melly is a contemporary art gallery located in a former school building on Witte de Withstraat, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It was founded in 1990 and originally named after the street it was located on. It presents curated exhib ...
and the
Maritime Museum Rotterdam The Maritime Museum Rotterdam is a maritime museum in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Dedicated to naval history, it was founded in 1874 by Prince Henry of the Netherlands. Next to the Maritime Museum lies the open-air Maritime Museum Harbour, whic ...
. The Historical Museum Rotterdam has changed into
Museum Rotterdam The Museum Rotterdam, until 2011 called the Historical Museum Rotterdam, is a museum about the history of Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It ...
, which aims to exhibit the development of Rotterdam as a contemporary transnational city, and not merely the city's past. Other museums include the Tax & Customs Museum, the
Netherlands Marine Corps Museum Netherlands Marine Corps Museum (Dutch - ''Mariniersmuseum'') is a museum on the history of the Netherlands Marine Corps. Since December 1995 it has been housed in a building on the Wijnhaven in Rotterdam. Since 2014 it has been one of the four m ...
and the Natural History Museum. In 2025 'Fenix, Museum for Migration' will be opened. The first municipal library of Rotterdam was founded in 1604. The current Bibliotheek 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. The archival holdings include, among other, general archives, notarial deeds, an audiovisual collection, and a library.


Popular music, film, festivals

Rotterdam has a long tradition of popular music, including the city's Jazz scene before and after WWII. A major historical moment in the city's music history is the legendary Kralingen Pop Festival, which took place in Rotterdam in 1970 (featuring, among other,
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
,
Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...
, The Byrds, Canned Heat,
It's a Beautiful Day It's a Beautiful Day is an American band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1967, featuring vocalist Pattie Santos along with violinist David LaFlamme and his wife, Linda LaFlamme, on keyboards. David LaFlamme, who as a youth had once p ...
, and
Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...
). The festival was also made into a film, ''Stamping Ground'' (dir. George Sluizer). Alternative (music) culture became prominently present in the city in these days. From the 1960s until the 2000s, Rotterdam had a thriving squatters movement, which not only accommodated thousands of people, but also created social centres and cultural venues. From this movement came clubs like Boogjes, Eksit, Nighttown, Vlerk and Waterfront. A major reference is
Poortgebouw The Poortgebouw is a national monument located at Stieltjesstraat 38 in the Kop van Zuid area of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It was built beside the River Maas in 1879 and experienced a range of uses until it was squatted October 3, 1980. It ha ...
, which was squatted in 1980 and quickly legalised. Rotterdam also became the home of Gabber, a type of hardcore electronic music popular in the mid-1990s, with hard beats and samples. Groups like Neophyte and
Rotterdam Terror Corps Rotterdam Terror Corps, often abbreviated RTC, is a Dutch gabber act formed in 1993. Originally formed by five Dutch DJs (DJ Distortion, MC Raw, DJ Reanimator, DJ Petrov, and DJ Rob), currently there is only one of the original DJs left, DJ Dist ...
(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. 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 for pop music, like
Rotown Rotown is a music venue and a bar-restaurant in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It is located close to the city centre, on the Nieuwe Binnenweg. It is housed in a former Chinese restaurant and has been, although a small one, Rotterdam's main venue for r ...
,
Poortgebouw The Poortgebouw is a national monument located at Stieltjesstraat 38 in the Kop van Zuid area of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It was built beside the River Maas in 1879 and experienced a range of uses until it was squatted October 3, 1980. It ha ...
and Annabel. Additionally, the venue WORM focuses on
experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...
, as well as various other cultural activities. WORM also screens films and hosts a film lab, ''Filmwerkplaats''. In fact, Rotterdam has an extensive film history, ranging from avant-garde classics, such as
The Bridge The Bridge may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Art * ''The Bridge'' (sculpture), a 1997 sculpture in Atlanta, Georgia, US * Die Brücke (''The Bridge''), a group of German expressionist artists * ''The Bridge'' (M. C. Escher), a lithograph ...
( Ivens, 1928), to internationally acclaimed documentaries from the post-war era, such as Steady! (Van der Horst, 1952), and all kinds of fiction films. Of major importance within this context has also been the
International Film Festival Rotterdam The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...
(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 the
Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam (AFFR) is a biannual film festival screening films, shorts, animations and documentaries about architecture, urban development and city culture. The architecture friendly city of Rotterdam is the natural host ...
(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 Summer Carnaval (Dutch: Zomercarnaval) is an annual event the Dutch city Rotterdam. It mimics the Carnaval of Latin America and the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao). The Summer Carnival offers people an opportunity to celebrate Car ...
", the Dance Parade, Rotterdam 666, and the Metropolis pop festival. There are also Poetry International (in June), the
North Sea Jazz Festival The North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual festival held each second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. It used to be in The Hague but since 2006 it has been held in Rotterdam. This is because the Statenhal where the festival w ...
(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 the
World Port Days The World Port Days, also known as the World Harbour Days, (Dutch: ''Wereldhavendagen'') is a large, festive maritime event held annually in Rotterdam. It is one of the most highly attended events in the Netherlands. Highlights World Port Days i ...
.


Eurovision Song Contest

On 30 August 2019, it was announced by the
European Broadcasting Union The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; french: Union européenne de radio-télévision, links=no, UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who ar ...
and Dutch television broadcasters AVROTROS, NOS and NPO, that Rotterdam would host the
Eurovision Song Contest 2020 The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was planned to be the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It would have taken place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The con ...
, following the Dutch victory at the contest in Tel Aviv, Israel with the song " Arcade", performed by Duncan Laurence. However, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Europe The global COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Europe with its first confirmed case in Bordeaux, France, on 24 January 2020, and subsequently spread widely across the continent. By 17 March 2020, every country in Europe had confirmed a case, and all ...
, the 2020 contest was cancelled, and Rotterdam was later retained as host of the contest. The contest took place at Rotterdam Ahoy, with the semi-finals taking place on 18 and 20 May 2021, and the final taking place on 22 May 2021. This was the first time that Rotterdam hosted the contest, and the first time that the Netherlands hosted the contest since , when it was held in The Hague.


Rivalry

There is a healthy competition with Amsterdam, which is often viewed as the cultural capital of the Netherlands. This rivalry is most common amongst the city's football supporters, Feyenoord (Rotterdam) and Ajax (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". 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.


Architecture

Rotterdam has become world famous because of its modern and groundbreaking architecture. Throughout the years the city has been nicknamed '' Manhattan at the Meuse'' and ''The architectural capital of the Netherlands'' 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 include OMA (
Rem Koolhaas Remment Lucas Koolhaas (; born 17 November 1944) is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He is often cited as a re ...
),
MVRDV MVRDV is a Rotterdam, Netherlands-based architecture and urban design practice founded in 1993. The name is an acronym for the founding members: Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, and Nathalie de Vries. History Maas and Van Rijs worked at OMA, De Vr ...
, Neutelings & Riedijk and
Erick van Egeraat Erick van Egeraat (; born 1956) is a Dutch architect and author. He heads the architectural practice based in Rotterdam with offices in Moscow, Budapest and Prague. He is best known for his projects of ING Group Headquarters in Budapest, Drents Mu ...
. It has the reputation in being a platform for architectural development and education through the NAi (
Netherlands Architecture Institute The Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) was a cultural institute for architecture and urban development, which comprised a museum, an archive plus library and a platform for lectures and debates. The NAI was established in 1988 and was ba ...
), which is open to the public and has a variety of exhibitions on architecture and urban planning issues and prior the Berlage Institute, a postgraduate laboratory of architecture. The city has 38 skyscrapers and 352 high-rises and has many skyscrapers planned or under construction. The top 5 of highest buildings in the Netherlands consists entirely of buildings in Rotterdam. It is home to the tallest building in the Netherlands, the
Maastoren The Maastoren (Dutch for ''Meuse Tower'') is with its height of the second tallest building in the Netherlands. The office building is situated on the bank of the Nieuwe Maas, after which the building is named, in the neighborhood Kop van Zui ...
with a height of 165 meters. In 2021, the Zalmhaven Tower is completed with a height of 215 meters, and is now the new tallest building in the Netherlands.


History

In 1898, the high-rise office building the White House (in Dutch
Witte Huis The Witte Huis () or White House is a building and National Heritage Site in Rotterdam, Netherlands, built in 1898 in the Art Nouveau style.Rijksmonument report The building is tall, with 10 floors. It was also the first ''hoogbouw'' (liter ...
) 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 the Van Nelle fabriek (1929) a monument of modern factory design by
Brinkman Brinkman, Brinkmann, Brinckman, and Brinckmann are variations of a German and Dutch surname. It is toponymic surname with the same meaning as the surname Van den Brink: "(man) from the village green".Van der Vlugt van der Vlugt is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Willem van der Vlugt (1732-1807), director of the Teylers Stichting * Bartel Willem van der Vlugt (1763–1939), director of the Teylers Stichting and son of Willem van der Vlug ...
, the Jugendstil clubhouse of the
Royal Maas Yacht Club The Royal Maas Yacht Club ( nl, Koninklijke Roei- en Zeilvereniging De Maas) is a Dutch yacht club and rowing club located in the centre of Rotterdam. Members are able to engage in sailing and rowing and the yacht club's name, de Maas, stems fro ...
designed by Hooijkaas jr. en Brinkman (1909), and Feyenoord's football stadium De Kuip (1936) also by
Brinkman Brinkman, Brinkmann, Brinckman, and Brinckmann are variations of a German and Dutch surname. It is toponymic surname with the same meaning as the surname Van den Brink: "(man) from the village green".Van der Vlugt van der Vlugt is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Willem van der Vlugt (1732-1807), director of the Teylers Stichting * Bartel Willem van der Vlugt (1763–1939), director of the Teylers Stichting and son of Willem van der Vlug ...
. The architect
J. J. P. Oud Jacobus Johannes Pieter Oud (9 February 1890 – 5 April 1963) was a Dutch architect. His fame began as a follower of the '' De Stijl'' movement. Oud was born in Purmerend, the son of a tobacco and wine merchant. As a young architect, he was ...
was a famous Rotterdammer in those days. The Van Nelle Factory obtained the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. During the early stages of World War II the centre of Rotterdam was bombed by the German Luftwaffe, 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. Rotterdam is also famous for its Lijnbaan 1952 by architects Broek en Bakema, Peperklip by architect Carel Weeber, Kubuswoningen or
cube house Cube houses ( nl, kubuswoningen) are a set of innovative houses built in Helmond and Rotterdam in the Netherlands, designed by architect Piet Blom and based on the concept of "living as an urban roof": high density housing with sufficient space o ...
s designed by architect
Piet Blom Piet Blom (; February 8, 1934, Amsterdam – June 8, 1999, Denmark) was a Dutch architect best known for his 'Kubuswoningen' (cube houses) built in Helmond in the mid-1970s and in Rotterdam in the early 1980s. He studied at the Amsterdam Academy ...
1984. The newest landmark in Rotterdam is the Markthal, designed by architect firm
MVRDV MVRDV is a Rotterdam, Netherlands-based architecture and urban design practice founded in 1993. The name is an acronym for the founding members: Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, and Nathalie de Vries. History Maas and Van Rijs worked at OMA, De Vr ...
. In addition to that, there are many international well-known architects based in Rotterdam like O.M.A (
Rem Koolhaas Remment Lucas Koolhaas (; born 17 November 1944) is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He is often cited as a re ...
), Neutelings & Riedijk and
Erick van Egeraat Erick van Egeraat (; born 1956) is a Dutch architect and author. He heads the architectural practice based in Rotterdam with offices in Moscow, Budapest and Prague. He is best known for his projects of ING Group Headquarters in Budapest, Drents Mu ...
to name a few. Two architectural landmarks are located in the Lloydkwartier: the STC college building and the Schiecentrale 4b. The construction of the Depot of the Museum 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. Rotterdam also houses several of the tallest structures in the Netherlands. *The Erasmusbrug (1996) is a 790-meter (2,600 ft) cable-stayed bridge linking the north and south of Rotterdam. It is held up by a tall pylon with a characteristic bend, earning the bridge its nickname 'De Zwaan' ('the Swan'). *Rotterdam has the tallest residential building in the Netherlands: the De Zalmhaven Tower (). *Rotterdam is also home to the tallest office building '
Maastoren The Maastoren (Dutch for ''Meuse Tower'') is with its height of the second tallest building in the Netherlands. The office building is situated on the bank of the Nieuwe Maas, after which the building is named, in the neighborhood Kop van Zui ...
' () which houses Deloitte. This office tower surpassed the 'Delftse Poort' () which houses Nationale-Nederlanden insurance company, part of ING Group as tallest office tower in 2009. *The skyline of Rotterdam also houses the tall
Euromast Euromast is an observation tower in Rotterdam, Netherlands, designed by Hugh Maaskant constructed between 1958 and 1960. It was specially built for the 1960 Floriade, and is a listed monument since 2010. The tower is a concrete structure with an ...
, which is a major tourist attraction. It was built in 1960, initially reaching a height of ; in 1970, the Euromast was extended by . 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 The Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) was a cultural institute for architecture and urban development, which comprised a museum, an archive plus library and a platform for lectures and debates. The NAI was established in 1988 and was ba ...
), 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."


Parks

Within Rotterdam's urban structure, parks and greenery play an important role. A number of well-known parks in Rotterdam are: *''Het Park'' ( Het Park bij de Euromast), is a 70 acres park on the Maas, south of the Westzeedijk, at the
Euromast Euromast is an observation tower in Rotterdam, Netherlands, designed by Hugh Maaskant constructed between 1958 and 1960. It was specially built for the 1960 Floriade, and is a listed monument since 2010. The tower is a concrete structure with an ...
. 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 first Floriade 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 aross the Westzeedijk, were the Medical Faculty was built in the 1960s (now Erasmus MC). See also: Museumpark. *
Museumpark Museumpark is an urban park in Rotterdam, Netherlands, located between the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Westersingel, Westzeedijk and the complex of the Erasmus MC, a medical centre affiliated with the Erasmus University. The park lies on the ...
, close to Het Park, was originally designed in 1927 by architect W.G. Witteveen, who also designed Museum 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 the
Oceanium The Oceanium is a public aquarium that opened in 2001 in Diergaarde Blijdorp, a zoo in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The Oceanium lies in the expansion area of the zoo, which includes a new entrance and parking area, and was the biggest project to date ...
. *
Arboretum Trompenburg Arboretum Trompenburg is a botanical garden in Rotterdam, Netherlands, which hosts a large collection of woody as well as herbaceous plants. It occupies an area of 7 ha and is situated 4 m below sea level, so a system of canals is used to drain th ...
in
Kralingen Kralingen is a former village in the Dutch province of South Holland, now a neighbourhood of Rotterdam. It is located about 3 kilometres east of the city centre, in the borough Kralingen-Crooswijk. Kralingen was a separate municipality until 1895 ...
. 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 of
conifers Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extan ...
, '' Quercus'', '' Fagus'', ''
Rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...
'', ''
Ligustrum A privet is a flowering plant in the genus ''Ligustrum''. The genus contains about 50 species of erect, deciduous or evergreen shrubs, sometimes forming small or medium-sized trees, native to Europe, north Africa, Asia, many introduced and nat ...
'', ''
Rodgersia '' Rodgersia aesculifolia'' ''Rodgersia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Saxifragaceae family. ''Rodgersia'' are herbaceous perennials originating from east Asia. Taxonomy The review of the genus by Pan Jin-tang, in 1994 recognises ...
'' and '' Hosta''. *''Park Schoonoord'' (3 acres) is located in the
Scheepvaartkwartier Scheepvaartkwartier (Maritime Quarter) is a neighborhood of Rotterdam, Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherla ...
and was designed in its current form in 1860 by Jan David Zocher. *The ''Kralingse Bos'' (500 acres) with the
Kralingse Plas The Kralingse Plas is a lake located in the suburb of Kralingen in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The water is mainly used for watersport, fishing and recreational activities. The Kralingse Plas was created due to peat extractions. References
(250 acres) is located in the
Kralingen Kralingen is a former village in the Dutch province of South Holland, now a neighbourhood of Rotterdam. It is located about 3 kilometres east of the city centre, in the borough Kralingen-Crooswijk. Kralingen was a separate municipality until 1895 ...
district and has been based on a design by Marinus Jan Granpré Molière since 1928. In 1953 the Kralingse Bos officially opened. *The ''Vroesenpark'' in the district Rotterdam-Noord was laid out from 1929 to a plan by city architect W.G.
Witteveen Witteveen is a Dutch toponymic surname and may refer to the following people: * Arthur Witteveen (b. 19??), Dutch judge and legal writer * Axel Fernando Witteveen (born 1977), Argentine musician known by her stage name ''Axel'' * Dave Witteveen ...
. *The ''Zuiderpark'' (780 acres) is located in the district of Charlois. The park was laid out as a utility park from 1952 and not as an ornamental park. *''Park Rozenburg'' is a park in the neighbourhood
Kralingen Kralingen is a former village in the Dutch province of South Holland, now a neighbourhood of Rotterdam. It is located about 3 kilometres east of the city centre, in the borough Kralingen-Crooswijk. Kralingen was a separate municipality until 1895 ...
. The park is a protected municipal monument (Dutch: ''Gemeentelijk monument'').


Green activities

Since 28 May 1994, Rotterdam has had the phenomenon ''Opzoomeren''. 15% of Rotterdam residents (about 100,000 residents) say they participate in this phenomenon. At the end of 2020, the city has a record number of 2,503 Opzoomer streets, which is mainly reflected in the construction of facade gardens. The municipality of Rotterdam is encouraging the construction of green 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. *The city's largest green roof is located on top of the Groothandelsgebouw next to Central Station. *The ''Dakakker'' is the largest roof farm in Europe on top of the Schieblok. *The ''Dakpark'' is an elongated, narrow park in the district
Bospolder-Tussendijken Bospolder-Tussendijken is a neighborhood of Rotterdam, Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , establis ...
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. *The municipality of Rotterdam will provide the flat roof of the conference and concert building
De Doelen De Doelen is a concert venue and convention centre in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was originally built in 1934 but then destroyed in 1940 during the German bombardment of Rotterdam in May 1940 at the outset of World War II. It was rebuilt in 19 ...
with greenery and water storage. The design for the roof was made by Kraijvanger Architects.


Sports

Rotterdam calls itself ''Sportstad'' (City of Sports). The city annually organises several world-renowned sporting events. Some examples are the Rotterdam Marathon, the World Port Tournament, and the Rotterdam World Tennis Tournament. Rotterdam has also hosted a race of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship and the car racing event Monaco aan de Maas (Monaco at the Meuse). The city is also the home of many sports clubs and some historic and iconic athletes.


Football

Rotterdam is the home of three professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
clubs, being first tier clubs Feyenoord, Sparta and Excelsior. 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 the UEFA 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 the UEFA Cup and in 2002, Feyenoord won the UEFA Cup again. In 2008, the year of their 100-year-anniversary, Feyenoord won the
KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...
. Seating 51,480, its 1937 stadium, called ''Stadion Feijenoord'' but popularly known as De Kuip ('the Tub'), is the second-largest in the country, after the Amsterdam Arena. De Kuip, located in the southeast of the city, has hosted many international football games, including the final of Euro 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 three fourth 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:


Marathon

Rotterdam has its own annual international
marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
, which offers one of the fastest courses in the world. From 1985 until 1998, the world record was set in Rotterdam, first by Carlos Lopes and later in 1988 by
Belayneh Densamo Belayneh Densamo (born 28 June 1965) is an Ethiopian former long-distance runner, and a long-period world record holder for the marathon discipline. He held the world record for 10 years (1988-1998). Early life Belayneh was born in Diramo Afa ...
. In 1998, the world record for women was set by Tegla 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 by
Bashir Abdi Bashir Abdi (born 10 February 1989) is a Somali-born Belgian athlete who specializes in long-distance running. He won bronze medals in the marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 World Championships. In doing so, Abdi became both the fir ...
, who ran a time of 2:03.36 in 2021. The female record was set in 2012 when Tiki 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 the '' Coolsingel'' in the heart of Rotterdam. It attracts a total of 900.000 visitors.


Tennis

Since 1972, Rotterdam hosts the indoor hard court ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, part of the
ATP ATP may refer to: Companies and organizations * Association of Tennis Professionals, men's professional tennis governing body * American Technical Publishers, employee-owned publishing company * ', a Danish pension * Armenia Tree Project, non ...
Tour. The event was first organised in 1972 when it was won by
Arthur Ashe Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam singles titles. He started to play tennis at six years old. He was the first black player selected to the Unite ...
. Ashe went on to win the tournament two more times, making him the singles title record holder. Former
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
winner
Richard Krajicek Richard Peter Stanislav Krajicek ( cz, Krajíček; born 6 December 1971) is a Dutch former professional tennis player. In 1996, he won the men's singles title at Wimbledon, and remains the only Dutch player to have won a major singles title. In ...
became the tournament director after his retirement in 2000. The latest edition of the tournament attracted a total of 116.354 visitors.


Tour de France

In November 2008 Rotterdam was chosen as the host of the
Grand Départ Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...
of the
2010 Tour de France The 2010 Tour de France was the 97th edition of the Tour de France cycle race, one of cycling's Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. It started on with an 8.9 km prologue time trial in Rotterdam, the first start in the Netherlands since 1996 ...
. Rotterdam won the selection over the Dutch city of Utrecht. Germany's Düsseldorf had previously also expressed interest in hosting. The Amaury 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. The prologue was a individual time trial crossing the centre of the city. The first regular stage left the Erasmusbrug and went south, towards Brussels. The second stage of 2015 edition took the riders through Rotterdam on their way to Neeltje Jans in Zeeland. The 2024 edition of the Tour de France Femmes will begin in Rotterdam, with three stages in the Netherlands.


Rowing

Members of the student rowing club Skadi were part of the '
Holland Acht Hollandia Roeiclub (HRC) is a Dutch rowing club based in Utrecht. History The club appears in the 2010 movie ''The Social Network'' (which was based on real events) beating the Harvard team of the Winklevoss twins in the finals of The Grand Cha ...
', winning a gold medal at the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
in
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
. Since the opening in April 2013, Rotterdam hosts the rowing venue Willem-Alexander Baan that hosted the
2016 World Rowing Championships The 2016 World Rowing Championships was the 46th edition and held from 21 to 28 August 2016 at the Willem-Alexander Baan in Rotterdam, Netherlands in conjunction with the World Junior Rowing Championships and the World Rowing U23 Championships. ...
for Seniors, U23 and Juniors.


Field hockey

In field 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 Dutch ''Hoofdklasse''.


Baseball

Rotterdam is home to the most successful European baseball team, Neptunus Rotterdam, winning the most European Cups.


Boxing

Rotterdam has a long boxing tradition starting with
Bep van Klaveren Lambertus "Bep" van Klaveren (26 September 1907 – 12 February 1992) was a Dutch boxer, who won the gold medal in the featherweight division at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Van Klaveren remains the only Dutch boxer to have won an Oly ...
(1907–1992), aka 'The Dutch Windmill', Gold medal winner of the 1928
Amsterdam Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...
, followed by professional boxers like
Regilio Tuur Regilio Benito Tuur (born 12 August 1967) is a former Dutch boxer who was World Boxing Organization's super featherweight champion. Prior to turning professional and winning the world title, Tuur knocked out reigning world champion Kelcie Ban ...
and Don Diego Poeder.


Swimming

Rotterdam's swimming tradition started with
Marie Braun Maria "Marie" Johanna Philipsen-Braun (22 June 1911 – 23 June 1982), also known as Zus Braun, was a Dutch swimmer. She competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and in 1932 in Los Angeles, winning a gold medal in the 100 m backstroke an ...
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 champion
Rie Mastenbroek Hendrika "Rie" Wilhelmina Mastenbroek (26 February 1919 – 6 November 2003) was a Dutch swimmer and a triple Olympic champion. Biography Born in Rotterdam, she started swimming under the coaching of "Ma" Braun, who had coached her daughte ...
during the Berlin Olympics in 1936. In later years
Inge de Bruijn Inge de Bruijn (; born 24 August 1973) is a Dutch former competitive swimmer. She is a four-time Olympic champion and a former world record-holder. Personal De Bruijn was born in Barendrecht, Netherlands. Inge is the sister of Olympic water ...
became a Rotterdam sports icon as triple Olympic Gold medal winner in 2000 and triple European Gold medal winner in 2001.


Sailing

Olympic Gold medalist, in the O-Jolle during
1936 Olympics 1936 Olympics may refer to: *The 1936 Winter Olympics, which were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany *The 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI ...
, Daan Kagchelland was born in Rotterdam and member of the Rotterdamsche Zeil Vereeniging. The Kralingse plas was and is still a source of Olympic sailors like
Koos de Jong Jacobus Hermanus Hendrik Jan "Koos" de Jong (7 April 1912 – 20 August 1993) was a sailor from the Netherlands. He competed in the Firefly event at the 1948 Olympics 1948 Olympics may refer to: *The 1948 Winter Olympics, which were held in ...
,
Ben Verhagen Gijsbertus "Ben" Verhagen (29 September 1926 – 4 January 2020) was a sailor from the Netherlands, who represented his country at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Naples. Verhagen, as helmsman on the Dutch Flying Dutchman ''Daisy'' (H102), too ...
, Henny Vegter,
Serge Kats Serge Melfinn Kats (born 9 September 1971 in Rotterdam) is a sailor from the Netherlands, who represented his country for the first time at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Savannah. There he took the 13th place in the Laser. Kats second and final O ...
and Margriet Matthijsse.


Motorcycle racing

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.


Sportsmen of the year election

Since 1986, the city has selected its best sportsman, woman and team at the Rotterdam Sports Awards Election, held in December.


Other famous Rotterdam athletes

* Mia Audina, a retired Indonesia-born badminton player, living in Rotterdam. *
Nelli Cooman Cornelli "Nelli" Antoinette Hariëtte Cooman (born 6 June 1964) is a former Dutch athlete of Surinamese origin. At the 60 metres, she is two-time World indoor champion, six-time European indoor champion and former world record holder, running ...
, a Surinamese-born retired athlete who held the
60 m 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior ath ...
dash world record, and was the world and European champion in that event. *
Robert Doornbos Robert Michael Doornbos (; born 23 September 1981) is a Dutch former racing driver who also competed with a Monégasque licence. He has been test and third driver for the Jordan and Red Bull Racing Formula One teams, as well as driving for Mi ...
, a Rotterdam-born race car driver, who competed in the Formula One. *
Robert Eenhoorn Robert Franciscus Eenhoorn (born February 9, 1968) is a retired Dutch professional baseball player and manager. He played four seasons of Major League Baseball as a utility infielder for the New York Yankees and California/Anaheim Angels. On Sep ...
, a Rotterdam-born retired MLB shortstop, who competed for the New York Yankees, the Anaheim Angels and the New York Mets. *
Dex Elmont Dex Elmont (born 10 January 1984 in Rotterdam) is a Dutch retired judoka. His father Ricardo is a former judoka himself, who represented Suriname at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His older brother Guillaume Guillaume ma ...
, a Rotterdam-born judoka, who finished second in the European championships in 2009 in the division. *
Guillaume Elmont Guillaume Ricaldo Elmont (born 10 August 1981 in Rotterdam) is a male retired judoka from the Netherlands, whose biggest success so far was winning the world title at the World Championships in Cairo, Egypt. He did so in the 73–81 kg weig ...
, a Rotterdam-born judoka, who became world champion in 2005 in the division. * Francisco Elson, a Rotterdam-born basketball player who played in the NBA, won the NBA finals in 2007 with the San Antonio Spurs. * Ignisious Gaisah, a Ghanaian-born long jumper with a personal best of , 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 Francisca ("Francis") Hoenselaar (born 15 January 1965 in Rotterdam, South Holland) is a retired Dutch professional darts player from the Netherlands. She was nicknamed ''The Dutch Crown''. A leading player in the women's game, Hoenselaar was ...
, 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 athlete David McCarthy (born 1983), David 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.


Yearly events

Rotterdam hosts several annual events unique to the city. It hosts the ''Zomercarnaval'' (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. *January: Six-day racing, 'Zesdaagse van Rotterdam' – Rotterdam Ahoy *January:
International Film Festival Rotterdam The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...
*February: **Rotterdam Open ABN AMRO ATP 500 Tennis Tournament – Rotterdam Ahoy **Art Rotterdam – international art fair at Van Nellefabriek *April–June: ** Rotterdam Marathon ** Poetry International **Koningsdag, Koningsdag Festival (27 April) **CHIO (Concours Hippique International Officiel) Rotterdam **Roparun *July: **
North Sea Jazz Festival The North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual festival held each second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. It used to be in The Hague but since 2006 it has been held in Rotterdam. This is because the Statenhal where the festival w ...
(second weekend of July) **
Summer Carnival The Summer Carnaval (Dutch: Zomercarnaval) is an annual event the Dutch city Rotterdam. It mimics the Carnaval of Latin America and the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao). The Summer Carnival offers people an opportunity to celebrate Car ...
*August: **Pleinbioscoop **Dag van de Romantische Muziek (Romantic music festival) **Rotterdam Rave Festival *September: **The World Port Days *November/December (Last weekend before 5 December (Sinterklaas)) **Boterletterwedstrijden (Sailing regatta for International classes)


Transportation

Rotterdam offers connections by international, national, regional and local public transport systems, as well as by the Dutch motorway network. Motorways
There are several motorways to/from Rotterdam. The following four are part of its 'Ring' (ring road): *A20 motorway (Netherlands), A20 (Ring North): Hook of Holland – ''Rotterdam'' – Gouda, South Holland, Gouda *A16 motorway (Netherlands), A16 (Ring East): ''Rotterdam'' – Breda (– Antwerp – Paris) *A15 motorway (Netherlands), A15 (Ring South): Europoort – ''Rotterdam'' – Nijmegen *A4 motorway (Netherlands), A4 (Ring West): ''Rotterdam'' – The Hague (– Amsterdam) The following two other motorways also serve Rotterdam: *A13 motorway (Netherlands), A13 ( Amsterdam –): The Hague – Delft – ''Rotterdam'' *A29 motorway (Netherlands), A29 (Antwerp –): Bergen op Zoom – ''Rotterdam'' Airport
Much smaller than the international hub Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam The Hague Airport (formerly known as ''Zestienhoven'') is the third-largest airport in the country, behind Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Schiphol Airport and Eindhoven Airport. Located north of the city, it has shown solid growth over the past five years, mostly caused by the growth of the low-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. Train
Rotterdam is well connected to the Dutch railway network, and has several international connections: *Southern direction Dordrecht, Breda, Eindhoven, Flushing, Netherlands, Flushing (Vlissingen) (also international trains to Belgium/France) *Western direction Hook of Holland (reopened as a metro line in 2019) *North-Western direction The Hague, Leiden, Amsterdam *Northern direction (high-speed rail) Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Schiphol, Amsterdam *North-Eastern direction Utrecht and further *A fifth alternative train system to the Hague, the Hofpleinlijn, Hofplein Line was converted to the light rail system RandstadRail, Randstadrail in 2006. *The city is often mentioned as the terminus of the Eurasian Land Bridge. Railway stations *Rotterdam Centraal railway station, Rotterdam Centraal – Rotterdam's main station *Rotterdam Alexander railway station, Rotterdam Alexander – Eastern part of Rotterdam *Rotterdam Blaak railway station, Rotterdam Blaak – Close to the centre of Rotterdam *Rotterdam Lombardijen railway station, Rotterdam Lombardijen – Most Southern part of Rotterdam *Rotterdam Noord railway station, Rotterdam Noord – Northern part of Rotterdam *Rotterdam Zuid railway station, Rotterdam Zuid – Northern part of the Southern part of Rotterdam *Rotterdam Stadion railway station, Rotterdam Stadion – A station near the Feyenoord stadium, open in connection with football matches and music concerts The main connections: *Direct international services to Belgium and France via high-speed train system: Thalys *International trains to the south of France and London via the Eurostar *Frequent international trains to Antwerp and Brussels, Belgium *Frequent services within the Netherlands: **Intercity line to The Hague, Leiden, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Schiphol airport and Amsterdam (north) **Intercity line to Utrecht and on to Deventer or Enschede (the east), Leeuwarden (north-west) or Groningen (city), Groningen (north-east) **Intercity line to Dordrecht, Roosendaal and on to Flushing, Netherlands, Vlissingen (south west) **Intercity line to Dordrecht, Breda, Tilburg, Eindhoven and Venlo (south east) **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. *Detailed information available from the site of the (Dutch Railways) In Rotterdam, public transport services are provided by the following companies: *NS (Dutch Railways): national train services *RET (Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram): tram, city-bus, metro, randstadrail and ferry-services in Rotterdam and surrounding cities *Arriva Netherlands: regional bus services *Connexxion: regional bus services *Qbuzz: regional bus services *Veolia: regional bus services. Metro
In 1968, Rotterdam was the first Dutch city to open a Rapid transit, metro system. The metro system consists of three main lines, each of which has its own variants. The metro network has 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. Tram
The Trams in Rotterdam, Rotterdam tramway network offers 9 regular tram lines and 4 special tram lines with a total length of . Service Tramlines in Rotterdam : *2: (Rotterdam) Charlois – Rotterdam Lombardijen NS – (Rotterdam) Keizerswaard (runs only to the southern part of the city) *4: (Rotterdam) Molenlaan – Rotterdam Centraal – (Rotterdam) Marconiplein *7: (Rotterdam) Oostplein – Rotterdam Centraal – (Rotterdam) Willemsplein *8: (Rotterdam) Spangen – Rotterdam Centraal – (Rotterdam) Kleiweg *20: Rotterdam Centraal – Rotterdam Lombardijen NS – (Rotterdam) Lombardijen *21: (Schiedam) Woudhoek – Station Schiedam Centrum – Rotterdam Centraal – (Rotterdam) De Esch *23: (Rotterdam) Marconiplein – Rotterdam Centraal – (Rotterdam) Beverwaard *24: (Vlaardingen) Holy – Station Schiedam Centrum – Rotterdam Centraal – (Rotterdam) De Esch *25: (Rotterdam) Schiebroek – Rotterdam Centraal – (Barendrecht) Carnisselande Special tram lines: *10: historical tram line, only runs in summer 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. *Ice cream, IJsjes-tram: summer version of the snert tram, providing tourists with ice cream rather than pea soup. Bus
Rotterdam offers 55 city bus lines with a total length of . 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. An automated bus service, ParkShuttle, runs between Kralingse Zoom metro station and the Rivium Business Park in Capelle aan den IJssel. The RoMeO Foundation
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 the Rotterdam public transport museum is housed in the monumental tram depot Hillegersberg from 1923. Waterbus
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 60 bicycles. The stops between Rotterdam and Dordrecht are: *Rotterdam Erasmusbrug – Krimpen aan den IJssel Stormpolder – Ridderkerk De Schans – Alblasserdam Kade – Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht Noordeinde – Papendrecht Westeind – Dordrecht Merwekade. Ferry
P&O Ferries have daily sailings from Europoort to Kingston upon Hull in the UK.


International relations

Rotterdam has city and port connections throughout the world. In 2008, the city had 13 twin towns and sister cities, sister cities, 12 partner cities, and 4 sister ports. 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. On 15 March 2017, the Turkish president expressed his wish that Istanbul 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.


Twin towns – Sister cities

Rotterdam is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: * Baltimore (since 1985) * Burgas (since 1976) * Cologne (since 1958) * Constanța (since 1976) * Dresden (since 1988) * Esch-sur-Alzette (since 1958) * Gdańsk (since 1977) * Havana (since 1983) * Lille (since 1958) * Liège (since 1958) * Shanghai (since 1979) * Saint Petersburg (since 1984) * Turin (since 1958) * Şanlıurfa (since 2023)


Partner cities

* Antwerp (since 1940) * Basel (since 1945) * Bratislava (since 1991) * Budapest (since 1991) * Duisburg (since 1950) * Durban (since 1991) * Kingston upon Hull, Hull (since 1936) * Jakarta (since 1983) * Nuremberg (since 1961) * Osaka Prefecture (since 1984) * Oslo (since 1945) * Prague (since 1991)


Sister ports

* Kobe (since 1967) * Busan (since 1987) * Seattle (since 1969) * Tokyo (since 1989)


Places named after Rotterdam

The Rotterdam (town), New York, town of Rotterdam, located in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, was founded in 1661 by Dutch settlers, who named it after the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where many immigrants last touched European grounds. The town borders the Administrative divisions of New York#City, city of Schenectady, New York, Schenectady. Founded as a 'first class town' in 1942, Rotterdam has since adopted the Old World Rotterdam coat of arms along with the motto ''Sterker door Strijd'' (Stronger through Effort). * Nieuw Rotterdam, Nickerie District, Suriname (1866–1875) * Rotterdam, New York, United States * Rotterdam, Limpopo, South Africa


Notable people

*Pierre Bayle (1647–1706), enlightenment philosopher *Leo Beenhakker (born 1942), football coach *Giovanni van Bronckhorst (born 1975), former footballer with Feyenoord *Jules Deelder (1944–2019), poet, writer, DJ and night mayor *Erasmus, Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536), philosopher and humanist *Pim Fortuyn (1948–2002), assassinated politician *Leo Fuld (1912–1997), singer *Piet Pieterszoon Hein (1577–1629), naval fleet officer and privateer *Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff (1852–1911), Dutch physical chemist, first winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry *
Rem Koolhaas Remment Lucas Koolhaas (; born 17 November 1944) is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He is often cited as a re ...
(born 1944), internationally renowned architect *Willem de Kooning (1904–1997), painter *Bernard Mandeville (1670–1733), philosopher, political economist and satirist *Mary Louisa Molesworth (1839–1921), an English writer of children's stories *Coen Moulijn (1937–2011), football player of Feyenoord *Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Johan van Oldebarnevelt (1547–1619), statesman of the Dutch Revolt *Jan Jacob van Oosterzee (1817–1882), a Dutch divine *Colonel Tom Parker (1909–1997), manager of Elvis Presley *Robin van Persie (born 1983), Feyenoord forward and Dutch international footballer *James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth (1649–1685), English nobleman and military officer *Marten Toonder (1912–2005), comic writer *Maarten Tromp (1598–1653) & Cornelis Tromp (1629–1691), Royal Netherlands Navy, Dutch admirals *Angela Visser (born 1966), model and actress, Miss Nederland, Miss Holland 1988 and Miss Universe 1989


In popular culture

Rotterdam features in Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall" (1835). 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 of Survivors (1975 TV series), ''Survivors'' Greg Preston says "Rotterdam was burning, just miles and miles of fire. Oil tanks going off like bombs." In season 1, episode 2 of The Golden Girls (season 1), ''The Golden Girls'' ("Guess Who's Coming to the Wedding?"), Dorothy Zbornak, Dorothy reminisces how her ex-husband, Stan, would buy her tulips after they fought. "Towards the end, our house looked like Easter in Rotterdam." In 1996, the United Kingdom, British band the Beautiful South recorded a song named after this region titled ''Rotterdam (or Anywhere)''. Part of Jackie Chan's 1998 film ''Who Am I? (1998 film), Who Am I?'' is set in Rotterdam. ''Ender's Shadow'', part of the series ''Ender's Game'' is partially set in Rotterdam. In the 2004 video game ''Hitman: Contracts'', the missions "Rendezvous in Rotterdam" and "Deadly Cargo" are both set in Rotterdam. The 2017 Laurence Olivier Awards, 2017 Laurence Olivier Award-winning play ''Rotterdam (play), Rotterdam'', written by Jon Brittain, is set in the city. In ''Battlefield V'', this city is used as a map released on its two of its maps on launch, which are Rotterdam and Devastation, and featured the British Army fighting against the Wehrmacht and according to its history, the Witte Huis, white building was almost left untouched by the bombing during WWII and that building can be seen on both in-game and real world.


See also

*World's busiest ports, by type of port (a "list of lists")


References


Footnotes


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * *


External links


Rotterdam City Council (English)Rotterdam Tourism BoardVisitRotterdam.org (Unofficial)
{{Authority control Rotterdam, Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of South Holland 1340 establishments in Europe Populated places in South Holland Port cities and towns in the Netherlands Port cities and towns of the North Sea