The Poortgebouw is a national monument located at Stieltjesstraat 38 in the Kop van Zuid area of

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

, the

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. It was built beside the River Maas in 1879 and experienced a range of uses until it was squatted October 3, 1980. It had been standing empty for 2 years and was squatted as a protest intended to highlight the lack of affordable residential housing in Rotterdam.

History

The Poortgebouw was originally planned as one of two identical buildings separated by water and guarding the narrow entrance to the Binnenhaven, part of the original port of Rotterdam. It is a monumental four storey brick building, with two wings and connecting floors which span the road beneath. It was intended to be the administrative headquarters of Rotterdamsche Handelsvereniging, but when the owner (L.Pincoffs) went

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

and fled to the

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the second building was not built. Later a smaller version was constructed, only to be demolished in 1937. By the late 1970s, the building was derelict and there were unpopular plans to make it into an ''eroscentrum'' or large

bordello A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub pa ...

. When the Poortgebouw was squatted, the intention was to use the building as living space and a youth centre. After much negotiation with the city council, it was agreed in 1982 that the squatters could stay as a housing association (''Vereniging Poortgebouw''). They would pay a low rent and undertook to maintain the inside of the building. The first rent contract was signed in May 1984.

Activities

Until 2016, the Poortgebouw had a regular ''Éétcafé'' every Wednesday evening with

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

food. There was a free shop and a ''voko'' which sold organic food at wholesale prices both of which are open to the public during the cafe from 18:00 - 21:00. Many grassroots, not-for-profit activities were held at the Poortgebouw, including music concerts (

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

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, acoustic),

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nights,

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events, discussions and film nights. In the late 2000s, there was an infoshop called the Autonomous Library, which was open during the cafe and other events.

Groene Groep

In July 2001 the Poortgebouw was sold by ''Woning Bedrijf Rotterdam'' (WBR), a semi-privatized company maintaining council-owned buildings, to ''de Groene Groep'', a development company. The building was sold for 400,000 euro, which is approximately the price of a large single-family home. It was sold without the consultation of the Vereniging Poortgebouw (the Poortgebouw housing association). From October 2004 onwards the Vereniging Poortgebouw has been fought against the decision by de Groene Groep to cancel the rental contract, evict the tenants and renovate the Poortgebouw for office space. On February 17, 2006 the Rotterdam Court of Justice gave the verdict that the rental contract was ended and no alternative housing should be offered. The judge agreed with de Groene Groep that the only means to renovate the Poortgebouw building would be by redeveloping it as office space, supporting the contention of the developers that the outside of the building needs much work.http://www.poortgebouw.nl/news/060217uitspraak1.html Poortgebouw: Rechtbank Uitspraak Feb 17, 2006 The Vereniging Poortgebouw had argued that this work was needed because both Woning Bedrijf Rotterdam and de Groene Groep had neglected their contractual obligations to ensure the outside of the building was in a good condition. The Vereniging Poortgebouw has appealed this decision at a higher court in Den Haag. In 2010, this court judged that de Groene Groep was not permitted to evict the current tenants, a major victory for the inhabitants. In 2017, the Groene Groep sold the Poortgebouw for 750,000 euro to a new speculator.

References

External links

Poortgebouw official website
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Rotterdam Legalized squats Rijksmonuments in Rotterdam Squats in the Netherlands

History

Activities

Groene Groep

See also

References

External links