hkskyline's 2025 in ROTTERDAM

[hkskyline]

It's been a while since I visited Rotterdam. Rewind back to 2009. It was a grey day, and I left hoping to come back again to do it justice.

Here we are in 2025. Initially, this trip was supposed to be all about Belgium, flying into Brussels and covering Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges. However, I found a cheap redemption ticket out of Rotterdam, and it's not that further out from Antwerp than Brussels, so here I am, back under blue skies.

The Euromast is a good place for a panoramic view of the city. Built in 1960 long before the EU was born, the tower's name comes from 'euro' for Rotterdam's location and 'mast' as it is used in Dutch and several other European languages. It has a fairly colourful history, with the city not having enough money originally to build over 50m. The port tycoons then pledged money to build taller, and the tower reached 100m. The observation level was fairly quiet and I had a lot of space to myself to enjoy the views.







































To the north, I can make out The Hague's skyline in the distance. The metro's line E connects both cities together, with a journey time of about half an hour from Centraal station.





More in the next part or you can check out my website for more from this trip : https://www.globalphotos.org/rotterdam.htm

[ColDayMan]

Great stuff. Love Rotterdam.

[mr1138]

Great photos! I was also there this summer and was blown away for the second time by what a vibrant city it is. The center is bustling, the Rijnhaven continues to be an amazing urban redevelopment (and the new Fenix Museum is excellent)! The Depot art museum is also super cool, as is all the new postmodern architecture bursting through the dull, mid-century backdrop. I was there in 2016 and remember really enjoying Rotterdam, but this time I was especially struck by how BUSY the city felt.

It also doesn't hurt that it is less than 45 minutes by train from the center of Amsterdam, The Hauge, Utrecht, and numerous other smaller cities. Holland and Utrecht almost seem to function like a single multi-centric city given the short travel times and how easy it is to use the public transit.

[mr1138]

I have to say that I am always a bit surprised how little love Rotterdam gets here on skyscraperpage. They have a pretty active community over on skyscrapercity though. The "translate" function on Chrome makes it a piece of cake to read their discussions.

[mrnyc]

^ i had not noticed, but good to know.

i am always fascinated by rotterdam its on the list.

[hkskyline]

Oddly intriguing from the outside, the Cube House is a set of residential buildings made of cubes angled at 53.5 degrees resting on concrete pillar trunks. Designed by Piet Blom, they first appeared in the mid-1970s near Eindhoven and arrived in Rotterdam in the 1980s. This "forest" of treehouses are placed on top of a busy avenue below, connecting the new housing projects in the Old Harbour with the city.



















It is possible to enter an apartment museum for 3 euros, a price that hasn't changed over the years.

First impressions are not good as it feels claustrophobic to climb up the narrow and steep staircase to the lower floor. It also feels very dark due to the windows' angle downwards.















The final staircase leads to a super hot greenhouse because all the windows face the sun and there are plenty of them.











More on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/rotterdam.htm

[hkskyline]

Kop van Zuid is Rotterdam's version of Manhattan with huge skyscrapers for people to live and work that rose from abandoned docklands. Dug at the end of the 19th century, the southern harbours were no longer fit for purpose after World War II. New and more modern facilities were built to the west, so this area fell into decline until the 1980s when urban renewal started.



















Holland America Line's boats once departed from this cruise terminal building. This area is known as "handkerchief quay", where many tears were shed here as migrants boarded the boats for a new life in America. Many of these migrants came to Rotterdam from other parts of Europe by train, who would then be checked for diseases and lice before being allowed to continue their journey. Otherwise, they could be sent back from New York at the shipping company's expense.



















More on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/rotterdam.htm

[hkskyline]

During the 17th century, Leuvehaven was a busy place where ships came and left for distant lands, bringing back exotic goods such as sugar, coffee, cocoa, and spices. The transatlantic trade triangle involved loading ships in Rotterdam with textiles, alcohol, and weapons destined for Africa, then slaves to the Americas, and finally plantation products back to Europe.

















Many of the Maritime Museum's boats are moored here along the western edge of Leuvehaven that you can see for free. There are also small work areas that are open to the public without admission.





















More on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/rotterdam.htm

[plinko]

I don't know that much about Rotterdam. How much 'old city' is left or has been re-built? It's always been a laboratory for avant-garde architecture, I just wonder how or if it integrates.

[mr1138]

Originally Posted by plinko

I don't know that much about Rotterdam. How much 'old city' is left or has been re-built? It's always been a laboratory for avant-garde architecture, I just wonder how or if it integrates.

Little to none of the 'old city' is left, if by that you mean the historic center with buildings from the 17th century and earlier. But outside the center are extensive neighborhoods of 19th century rowhomes that feel a lot like neighborhoods from the same era in Amsterdam. In fact, the majority of the city geographically are these neighborhoods. There are smaller enclaves and nearby suburbs, like Delftshaven and Schiedam, that have much older historic centers.

I suppose it also depends what you mean by "old." Compared to Amsterdam's famous canal zone, 19th century neighborhoods aren't that historic. But 19th century urbanism is also what defines large parts of cities like Paris, London, and American cities like New York, Boston, Chicago, etc. In that way, Rotterdam feels like a northeastern American city, and it's modern center feels a lot to me like an American downtown.

[hkskyline]

While Rotterdam looks like a bastion of modern architecture, a tiny part of the city still retains its historic charm. Delfshaven just to the west of the city centre survived World War II bombings and showcases the old life that revolved around the herring fishery and breweries.

At the end of the 14th century, Delft wanted its own sea port and not depend on Schiedam or Rotterdam to trade their beer and broadcloth. They were given the right to dig here, which was named Delft's harbour (Delftshaven).















The Pilgrims originally fled religious persescution in England to the Netherlands. Arriving from Leiden in 1620, they gathered in Delfshaven in preparation for their journey to America for a new life. They prayed at this church before setting off for Southampton on their boat, where they joined another group of Pilgrims who would sail on the Mayflower.









Outside, the quayside is quiet with few tourists amidst the mix of historic and modern buildings. There are quite a few boats moored here, with the busy waterway and port just outside.

























More on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/rotterdam.htm

[hkskyline]

Rotterdam's city centre was almost entirely destroyed during bombings in 1940. As part of redevelopment efforts, new skyscrapers rose along the Boompjes boulevard waterfront. Starting from the Witte Huis, one of few survivors from the bombing, I headed west along the waterfront promenade. The first major building is the Willemswerf, an office building completed in 1989.





















More on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/rotterdam.htm

[mrnyc]

it feels like rotterdam is always on the cover of every architecture magazine.

did you visit the markthalle & fenix museum?

[hkskyline]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

it feels like rotterdam is always on the cover of every architecture magazine.

did you visit the markthalle & fenix museum?

Yes to the food hall but not the museum.


Markthal opened in 2014 in a strikingly iconic building with residences wrapped around a huge market hall with murals of fruits and vegetables. However. most stalls sell food to eat immediately although there is an Albert Heijn and Asian supermarket on site. Seemingly touristy, I arrived looking for an architectural marvel over an authentic meal. The market hall is spectacularly clean since fresh groceries are not the main offer on the main floor.















































More on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/rotterdam.htm

[hkskyline]

The Nieuwe Instituut is one of several museums in Rotterdam's "museum quarter". Focusing on architecture, design, and digital culture, the ground floor exhibition area has a "gardening" theme to it from propaganda posters to work tools.





























More on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/rotterdam.htm

[Wigs]

great photos!

[Wigs]

This might be an ignorant or foolish question, but has Rotterdam surpassed Amsterdam as the business or finance capital of The Netherlands?

[mousquet]

^ I don't think so.
Rotterdam is the busiest port in the EU (the 2nd being Antwerp, Belgium, I believe) and even one of the busiest worldwide.
But the real financial hub in the Netherlands is Amsterdam. Lots of big corporations headquartered there.

[Triple_Sim]

Nice to see that at least some of the canal-front buildings have survived WWII. The modern stuff is often either a bit bland, or ugly.

[mr1138]

Originally Posted by Wigs

This might be an ignorant or foolish question, but has Rotterdam surpassed Amsterdam as the business or finance capital of The Netherlands?

mousequet is probably right, but the thing about this question is that the entire Randstad is so interconnected, that as an American, it almost feels like a single poly-centric city. Just without all the suburban sprawl in between, and only a little bit more spread out than a city like Los Angeles.

Rotterdam to The Hauge is only about 10 miles, which is comparable to the distance between downtown LA to Century City. And Utrecht is about 20 miles from Amsterdam, similar to the distance between downtown LA to Long Beach. Amsterdam is about 35 miles from Rotterdam, but can take as little as 37 minutes on a high speed train. And that's not to mention all the other population centers connected to the bigger cities along the main train lines. Smaller cities like Leiden and Delft are also lovely. It was clear from watching rush hour at the stations that there is a LOT of frequent commuting between each city.

Amsterdam does clearly remain the most prestigious city. It seems to be a place where people go to shop, go out for a really nice dinner, or to locate a prestigious company. It's also BY FAR the most touristy. And the most fast-paced. I love it and would go back any time I get the chance, but cities like that aren't for everyone. I even noticed a lot of Dutch families on a nice summer Saturday taking their boats into the capital from smaller places outside the city just to spend some time. Many of them probably don't even get off their boats if they don't want to deal with the tourists.

Different industries really seem bifurcate to the different cities, for example the seat of government and international affairs being in The Hauge. Rotterdam seems more focused on shipping and logistics, of course. But I think they are making a good case for being a hub for design-related industries. Rotterdam also seems like a very welcoming place to outsiders. Over 50% of its population is foreign born. I could easily imagine living there as an ex-pat and frequently taking the train to Amsterdam (or Paris, or London, or many places in Germany).