Returning to Rotterdam - an Architect's Dream!

Saturday (May 12) we docked back in Rotterdam.  Our last two cruise days were "at sea" which was restful.  We witnessed an amazing sunset during that time which I want to share.  

Also, the next day we passed under a bridge that crosses the sea.  Someone said it connected one part of Sweden to another but all I can find online is information about the Oresund Bridge and the photo on the website looks a lot like what we passed under.  One way or another, it was a very long bridge and impressive to see.  Which one it was might remain a mystery - at least to me!

I am not sure how many kilometres we covered on the cruise but the map below will give you an idea of everywhere we went.

We arrived in Rotterdam around 7 am on the 12th and I was scheduled to disembark at 8:30.  That whole process went very smoothly and I was at my hotel (no room ready yet) about 9).  I had attended an info session on the ship about the city so I at least knew a little bit about it.  Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands and the biggest port in Europe.  Certainly, as we went up the river that morning, we passed the large industrial zones - big cranes, containers stacked everywhere, freighters - that you would see in any port. 

This was taken on the outbound journey but shows the industrial area of the port

In terms of its history, the Nazis bombed the city in May of 1940 and basically told Holland if it didn't surrender (it was neutral at the time), they would destroy every other Dutch city.  So, the country capitulated immediately and wasn't liberated until the arrival of the Canadians in May,1945.  Not sure how many people were killed in that bombing but apparently 80,000 were left homeless.  Most of the city was destroyed and only the area called Delfshaven looks close to what it did then.  The speaker also mentioned sites anyone visiting the city needed to see such as the Fenix Food Factory, Euromast, the Hotel New York, the SS Rotterdam, the Erasmus Bridge, the Market Hall and the Cube Houses.

I spent the weekend in the city and managed to get to some, but certainly not the majority, of the places suggested.  My overall impression is that I really like this city and want to come back and see more of it.  I did a walking tour and Sunday took a tour out of the city.  The walking tour guide talked about how Rotterdam is a city with a skyline that keeps changing.  Visually, it is stunning to see with all the different types of architecture, most of it very modern and edgy.  I don't think I have ever seen such amazing looking buildings.  So, most of the photos in this blog are of buildings.

On the tour, we saw the St. Lawrence Church (which is leaning slightly), the famous cube houses, and the market hall.  The church, which was damaged but not destroyed in the war, was built between 1445 and 1539 in the Gothic style.  It is the only remaining medieval building in the city centre.  Today, it is a multi-personal for church services, concerts and special events.

The yellow cube houses (Kubuswoningen) were designed by Piet Blom and were built in 1984.  Of the 74 planned, only 38 were actually built.  I understand that one of them is open as a museum.  I didn't get close enough to really see them on the walking tour but at least I got a photo of them from in front of the market hall.  The building in front has been nicknamed "the pencil" and I am sure you can see why. 

From Wikipedia:  They were based on the concept of "living as an urban roof":  high density housing with sufficient space on the ground level, since its main purpose is to optimise the space inside.  Blom tilted the cube of a conventional house 45 degrees, and rested it upon a hexagon-shaped pylon. His design represents a village within a city, where each house represents a tree, and all the houses together, a forest.  The central idea of the cube houses around the world is mainly optimizing the space, as a house, to a better distribution of the rooms inside.  

From Wikipedia - photo by Raul Ayres

Finally, our walking tour visited the Market Hall which was opened in 2014.  Our guide told us the impetus for this indoor market was that the EU was bringing in strict rules about food being sold in outdoor markets and this would be a way around those rules.  Not sure if that is entirely the case but it makes for a good story.  The hall is almost tubular with amazing artwork called the "Horn of Plenty" on its walls.  In fact, the walls are apartments with most of the interior windows being hallways or storage areas with the outer wall being where living rooms and bedrooms are.  Again, it is very creative.  The artwork on the interior wall was created using 4500 square aluminum panels which were originally created on a computer.  It is stunning to see.

The building on the right shows the apartments on the exterior of the Market Hall

Artwork on the market hall interior

So, my overall impression of Rotterdam is very positive and I would love to return to this city and explore it some more.  I read in a tourist pamphlet today that Rotterdam's new motto is "Stronger Through Effort".  It seems to be working!

Below are the final notes from the cruise; there are the ones for Rotterdam.

As the saying goes, “Amsterdam to party, Den Haag to live, Rotterdam to work.”  With the largest port in Europe and one of the busiest ports in the world, this city of more than 1.3 million people lives up to the famous adage.  The importance of Rotterdam’s port is owed to its central location.  Lying near the mouth of the Nieuwe Maas Channel, which is formed by the Noord and Lek rivers in the North Sea, the port offers quick and easy access to the center of Europe.

The city has worked hard to rebuild its skyline after the World War II bombing of 1940.  One popular destination that has been successfully restored is the Schielandshuis Museum, which features interactive local history exhibits, and is the only remaining building from the 17^th century in the center of Rotterdam.  If top-notch shopping is what you’re looking for, head to Witte de Withstraat, where high-fashion boutiques line the streets.

Spend some time strolling the car-free Lijnbaan promenade, or head to the historic Delfshaven for a myriad of antique shops.  Rotterdam is known for the architecturally unique Cube Houses.   Designed by Dutch architect Piet Blom, each house is a cube that rests on a hexagon-shaped pylon at a 45-degree angle.

For thrill seekers, try propelling down the 328 foot Euromast, which boasts 607 feet in total height.  High-speed elevators will take you to the top of the Netherland’s tallest building in just a matter of seconds, but how you get down is your choice.