[Nightsky]

About Rotterdam:
Population:616 000 (metro 1211 000, 7 millions in Randstad)
Province: Zuid-Holland
Tallest building: Nieuw Ministerie (146m, 2 bldgs)
Founded year (city rights): 1350
Area: 319m2

Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands. It also has the world’s second largest and busiest harbour and Europe’s largest, Europoort (beaten by Shanghai in 2004). The city was bombed heavily by Luftwaffe during WWII, so most old buildings were destroyed. But instead of rebuilding the city center as it was, very modern buildings with innovative architecture have been constructed, and the last 4 decades many skyscrapers have arised, especially the last 5 years. So the city feels more like an American city then a European, but there are many streets with older buildings in the outskirts. It has a very impressive skyline, containing most of Netherland’s tallest buildings, spread out over the center and the harbour. Rotterdam’s harbour is so important because it is situated in the large channel Nieuwe Maas where several important rivers meet. Rotterdam is also a multicultural city, more then 50% has roots in other countries. The city has, just like Amsterdam, many museums and a vibrant nightlife.

I visited Rotterdam for one day as part of my Amsterdam trip. It takes only about one hour by train from Amsterdam. It is a very cool city to visit if you like modern architecture, it is almost like a “European Dubai”. It was very hot the day I visited Rotterdam, and there were no clouds in the sky. Some streets can feel a bit stiff and there are not many trees, they are also narrow so you don’t get much protection from the sun, but there are nice pubs in the harbor and you can find more picturesque districts such as Delfshaven. Rotterdam also have a very nice park, just next to the Euromast TV tower that offers nice views.
Unfortunately it is also one of the most criminal city in Holland, and after dark you can recognize there are many gangs in the city but daytime it feels very safe.

A plane pproaching Rotterdam, seen from the train.

Europoint from 1978 is a complex with 3 towers, among the first modern highrises of Rotterdam.

Mevlana Mosque.

Rotterdam Central station. Futuristic main railway station.

Millennium Tower/Manhattan hotel. Built year 2000, 149m to the spire.

Gebouw Delftse Poort from 1992. For long Rotterdam’s tallest, now 4th. But it is still the tallest in downtown. It is 151m to the roof.

Weenatoren (105m), built in 1990.

Hofplein with its fountain and modern skyscrapers.

The City Hall. This impressive building survived the bombings.

Along Coolsingel with City Hall and WTC.

The Old Post Office. There are plans to build a skyscraper on top of it!
A bit sad since it is one of the few old jugend buildings in the city.

De Bijenkorf department store.

World Trade Center. This 25-storey curved green glass scraper was completed in 1986.

 

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Beursplein.

The galleria at Beursplein.

Leuvehaven, an inner harbour with some cool machines!

Walk of fame:

Famous artist made fingerprints in Rotterdam’s own Walk of fame on Schiedamsedijk.

The trams of Rotterdam are very modern.

 

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Towards Erasmus bridge.

Wilhelminapier with the brand new skyscrapers.

Erasmus Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge above Nieuwe Maas with a striking modern design. It was designed by Ben van Berkel and was completed in 1996. The pylon is 139m high and 802m long. It has been featured in several movies and Tour de France.

The Photography Museum.

The top of Erasmusbrug polygons.

Old Harbour.

Maastoren.

The skyline of Kop van Zuid’s new skyscrapers.

 

[MattN]

Some great new angles on very familiar places, thanks. The 'Europoort' thing seems to be a common misconception though, not sure how it started. The name refers to a particular part of the Port of Rotterdam, the second to last phase of its 20th century expansion, not the entire port.

 

[christos-greece]

Indeed some great photos from Rotterdam you got there

 

[Linguine]

splendid new photos from Rotterdam...thanks for sharing.:cheers:

 

[Nightsky]

Kop van Zuid:

After passing the Erasmus Bridge, I reached Kop van Zuid, a new neighbourhood built on old port areas. It includes Wilhelmina Pier, a very narrow peninsula.

Toren op Zuid from year 2000 has a cool leaning design and features lighting schemes on the exterior that forms different patterns.

Maastoren to the left (165m to the roof) is currently Rotterdam’s tallest. It was built in 2010 and has 45 floors.

New Orleans. Completed in 2010, 2nd tallest (158m) in the Netherland’s, and the tallest residential building in the country. And warehouse looking residential buildings.

De Rotterdam, a mixed use skyscraper under construction May 2012. Will be completed in 2013 (149m tall).

Rendering of how Kop van Zuid will look in the future.

Netherlands Photo Museum.

Montevideo.

Hotel New York, the former ferry terminal for the Holland-America line. It was built in 1903 and later transformed into a hotel.

The singer Dutch Anouk wrote her album “Hotel New York” here.

Vilhelminapier on the eastern edge of Kop van Zuid:

World Port Center, Hotel New York and Montevideo.

Hotel New York was the former ferry terminal for the Holland-America line.

Reminders of America.

Montevideo, Netherlands’s tallest building upon completion in 2005 (now 3rd). 152m tall to the top of the “M” sign. Was also Netherland’s tallest residential building until 2010.
I made illustrations for the book that was printed for the release of this tower
.

Rotterdam and Erasmus Bridge was part of Tour de France in 2010.

Maastoren (165m to the roof) is currently Rotterdam’s tallest. It was built in 2010 and has 45 floors.

Wilhelminapier metro station.

A tram in front of city center’s waterfront skyline.

 

[SASH]

Thanks for sharing.
Good to hear that you liked Rotterdam.

 

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Noordereiland (Northern Island). An island in front of the city center that has some older buildings.

De Hef bridge.

Koninginnebrug opens for passing boats!

Kop van Zuid skyline with Erasmus Bridge.

Noordereiland (Northern Island), a small island in Nieuwe Maas, between North and South Rotterdam, that has some older residential buildings. The square is called Burgermeester Hoffmanplein, I had a melted icecream there.

Erasmus Bridge seen from Noordereiland.

Downtown skyline seen from Noordereiland.

Willemsbrug, a red bridge that goes from Northern Island to downtown/North Rotterdam. It was completed in 1981, and is a cable-stayed bridge with a total span of about 318 meters.

South skyline seen from Willemsbrug.

North skyline seen from Willemsbrug.

West and Old Harbour (East downtown) skyline seen from Willemsbrugl
Larger version: http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Rotterdam_harbourpano.JPG

City center skyline. Looks like some American city in this angle.

Willemsbrug.

Het Witte Huis, Europe’s first “skyscraper”.

Willemswerf. 88m, built 1988.

The Red Apple. A postmodern residential skyscraper from 2009. 127m, 40 floors.

Grote Kerk (Great Church). Also called Sint-Laurenskerk.

Wijnhaven.

 

[El_Greco]

Rotterdam is an interesting place, very un-European, but still with plenty of good architecture.

 

[Delirium]

Great collection. Always had a soft spot for Rotterdam, it's a place many British cities could learn a lot from.

 

[Nightsky]

Het Witte Huis was built in 1898 in beaux arts style and has 11 floors. It is a National Heritage site, inspired by American buildings. It is one of the few buildings that survived the bombings.

Oude Haven (Old Harbour) contains some ships, highrises and the famous Cube Houses as well as Het Witte Huis.

“Stockholm” restaurant!

The Cubes Houses are very innovative designed residential buildings in the Old Harbor.

The Cube Houses (Kubuswoning) were designed by Piet Blom . It consist of 37 houses that are tilted 45 degrees. They there built between 1978 and 1984.
The complex contains an apartment and a hostel.

Wijinhaeve is a 25-storey highrise built in 2008.

The cube homes form a star from below.

Blaaktoren from 1984 is connected to the cube houses.

Blaak metro station has a futuristic design.

City Building from 2009 and the library.

Centrale Bibliotheek, Municipal Library.

The library was built in 1983 and drawn by Van den Broek en Bakema- It has a somewhat controversioal architecture that reminds a bit of Centre Pompidou i Paris.

Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk. The church was built between 1449 and 1525 and survived the WWII bombings. But it was heavily damaged and had to be rebuilt. The restoration was completed in 1968.

Grote Kerk.

The statue of Erasmus of Rotterdam (Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus) outside Grote Kerk. This Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, and theologian is the most famous man from Rotterdam.

Rotterdam has modern canals.

A glass residential building.

Hoogstraat, a pedestrian street. At about 5 pm all stores had to close because of a power failure!

Many new buildings are under construction.

Blaak Office Tower from 1995. It is 106m tall.

Schielandtoren (behind the museum).

Museum Het Schielandshuis. A beautiful building.

 

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Erasmus University. A famous university named after Erasmus of Rotterdam.

It was weird to see all stores closing down already at 5 o´clock, I wondered why!

It was because of a power failure.

 

[MattN]

I can't remember exactly how it all links together at Blaak, but I think what you photographed is primarily the entrance to the railway station judging by the sign. Nice to see photos of this area, the first I got to know in Rotterdam back in 2004.

 

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Scheepvaartkwartier (The Maritime Quarter) is one of the richest quarters in the country and the most fashionable districts of Rotterdam. Here you can find monuments, luxury apartments, historic warehouses, museums, a historic harbour and good restaurants. It is situated in the west end of the city center, next to Euromast. There is a nice park that is simply called The Park in the area.

Norsk Sjomannskirke, a Norwegian Sailors Church on the entrance to the park.

Even the text was in Norwegian!

Euromast seen from The Park.

Parklaan, a fashionable lane in the west part of downtown, next to the park.

Many fashionable townhouses in American/British style are situated on Parklaan.

Statue on Parklaan.

Millerhuis.

 

[openlyJane]

A very interesting tour of Rotterdam. Thanks.
I think that the red bridge is the 'defining'/recognisable image of Rotterdam?

 

[MattN]

I'd say it was the Erasmusbrug, the blue bridge. It's certainly the one I've seen most often, in promotions or otherwise, often with the 'skyscrapers' on the Wilhelminapier alongside.

 

[Nightsky]

^^Yes. that is right. Erasmusbrug is the most famous bridge. Eurotoren, the Cube houses and Het Witte Haus are also famous buildings...and of course many of the skyscrapers.

 

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The top of Euromast seen from the Park.

A highway beneath the Park.

De Pannkoekenboot , the pancake boat.

Hooge Maas from 2001 and the Chinese restaurant boat.

Hotel de Gouden Wook, a floating Chinese restaurant/hotel.

Parkhaven.

 

[Nightsky]

Hope you like the updates, the skyline views from Euromast will come next!