Rotterdam: City of Architecture

As the top architectural city in the Netherlands, Rotterdam has a lot to offer tourists. This is mainly due to the variety of building styles of renowned architects and the new buildings that continue to be built. As a result of the bombing, there are few historical buildings in the center of Rotterdam. Still, there are some to be found.

Thus, despite suffering significant damage, the Laurenskerk was restored after the war. The Schielandshuis was also spared and it now stands between skyscrapers behind Coolsingel. Europe’s first skyscraper, the 45-meter-high Witte Huis built in 1898 at the Old Harbor, is also admirable. Buildings such as the Van Nelle factory, Huis Sonneveld and the Kiefhoek are examples of innovative architecture from the pre-war period.

After the war, the Wederopbouwplan of Van Traa, the Groot Handelsgebouw of Maaskant, and the Lijnbaan of Van Den Broek and Bakema gained international attention. Moreover, there are the Cube Houses (Kubuswoningen) from the 1980s and the Kunsthal from the 1990s.

Since the nineties, the old harbor areas have been transformed with courage and bravado into new living and working environments. The Erasmus bridge, which opened in 1996, serves as a symbol of this dynamism. The former harbor area, the Kop van Zuid, became part of the city center.

Recent successful projects include the new Central Station, the Markthal and the Timmerhuis and De Rotterdam, the last two projects were designed by the famous Rotterdam architect Rem Koolhaas.