Rotterdam

If you have never been to Holland and somehow imagined it, the Rotterdam is absolutely not what you expected. Rotterdam is a modern city, probably the city of the future Europe.


Rotterdam has a metro, trams, buses, find here route map. We spent the night in a hotel EUROMAST. Since the hotel is the unique experience, we wrote separate article.


Rotterdam Map in PDF can be downloaded here.

All major walking routes around the city located along the water. Even the street, which leads from the railway station to the center runs along the artificial channel.


Rotterdam is known as the largest port in Europe, with the area of 100 square kilometers. Fortunately, it moved out of the city. As elsewhere in Western Europe, port and warehouse areas are being turned into residential areas, business centers and recreational areas. In Rotterdam, we have seen two such districts: Katendrecht and Kop van Zuid.


It is interesting that 150 years ago, when it became necessary to expand the port, thousands of people were relocated from these areas. And in the 21st century, people are returning to live here.

More than half of the inhabitants are immigrants. In the middle of the 20th century here lived Europe's largest Chinese community. Now we found only one Chinese cafe with a cat.


Prior to the 21 th century it was also the red-light district.

In the 90s of the last century a master plan for the restructuring of port areas was developed. Districts have lost the status of the problematic in 2010. All old houses have been restored or rebuilt and the apartments were sold out. Police reports in 2016 say that this is the safest place in the city.

Local architecture.






164-meter skyscraper Maastoren is the highest in the Benelux. It is known as a venue for Maastoren Challenge in 2013 and 2015. This is charitable sporting event, where participants run up to the top floor.


Walking here is nice, beautiful views and no tourists.






Waterfront offers the best view of the EUROMAST tower. In 2007 there was even an idea of a cable car from it.


Pretty unusual to see an old building among the skyscrapers. You feel like in New York. By the way this is the name of this hotel (1903).


In 2013 the hotel has bought the ship SS Rotterdam and turn it into hotel, museum and restaurant.


Office district Kop van Zuid only reinforces the impression that you are not in Europe.


The bridge between the districts is called Rijnhavenbrug, but locals call it  "hoerenloper" (running whore), in memory of the red-light district.


The city center can be reached via Erasmus Bridge, which is a symbol of the city since 1996. It is the largest and heaviest swing bridge in western Europe.




On the right is a monument to the victims of fascism.


Promenade


Flags of all nations.


Willemswerf building became world famous after the movie "Who am I?" with Jackie Chan. The entire film was shot in Rotterdam.

The most beautiful building in the city is a White House (1898), the first skyscraper in Europe. During the Second World War, only a few buildings in the center survived the bombing and the White House - one of them.




Church of St. Lawrence is the only medieval building that can now be seen in Rotterdam.


Famous cube houses (1984) - another symbol of the city. These are real homes, some can be visited as a tourist. In 2001 the cubic house worth 200 thousand euros.








There are many other interesting buildings near the cubic houses. For example a cover over the metro station.


The market in a residential complex.






Public space in the very center.


City has lot of rabbits, some are small, for example in the park under the Euromast tower.


And some are big, near the Art Museum Kunsthal. In 2012 here happened the famous robbery of the century, when the pictures of the total value of $100-200 million were taken. The suspects were caught in a year, but the pictures were burned in a furnace by the mother of one of them to destroy evidence.




We were on one of the summer festivals, it was fun.










First time we see the big sunflowers in the city center.


100 years ago the mills were a usual thing in Rotterdam, but they did not survive to the present day.


One of them "De Distilleerketel" was restored in 1986. Find it in the historic area Delfshaven, the mill is in the middle of residential areas.


Famous Dutch toilets for men.


The city has various confusing installations.






We argued about this one - an octopus or a sperm? :)


Of course we photographed not all the interesting buildings in Rotterdam. On every turn you can find here something interesting.


Getting there: The Rotterdam Airport is only 6 kilometers from the city center. Bus 50 goes to the nearest metro station Meijersplein, then either by the subway or by the bus 33 to the main railway station, find schedule here. Amsterdam Airport is only 58 kilometers, find here train schedule to Rotterdam. The most convenient way to travel to the city is by train: from the nearest major cities, such as Amsterdam, Brussels, Antwerp, travel time is about an hour.