Rotterdam - Harbour, History and recent developments, Demographics, Geography, Education, Museums, Culture, Architecture and skyline, Sports, Shopping

51°55N 4°30E, pop (2000e) 617 000. Industrial city and chief port of The Netherlands, in South Holland province, W Netherlands; at the junction of the R Rotte with the Nieuwe Maas, 24 km/15 mi from the North Sea; major commercial centre of NW Europe since the 14th-c; city centre almost completely destroyed by German bombing, 1940; Europort harbour area inaugurated, 1966; approach channel deepened in 1984; railway; underground; university (1973); shipbuilding (largest shipyard in Europe), ship repairing, machinery, rolling stock, bicycles, engineering, oil refining, petrochemicals (largest plant on the Continent of Europe), foodstuffs, electronics, computers, clothing; birthplace of Erasmus; restored Groote Kerk, several museums; philharmonic orchestra.

Rotterdam

Location Coat of arms

The coat of arms reads "Sterker door Strijd", i.e. Website www.rotterdam.nl Nickname - Maasstad ("Meuse Town/City", or "Town/City of the Meuse") - Rotjeknor (used in affection) - Manhattan aan de Maas ("Manhattan upon Meuse", referring not to the city as a whole but rather to the city center, after its – by Dutch standards – large amount of skyscrapers) - 010 (after its area code; The name "Rotterdam" derives from the city's origin at a dam in a small river, the Rotte, which from the north joins the Nieuwe Maas at the heart of the city. The population of the greater Rotterdam metropolitan area (Rijnmond) is 1,145,673 (01-01-2006, CBS).

In some occasions, Rotterdam is listed as part of the Rotterdam-Den Haag (The Hague) urban area, which has a population of 3,345,000 and also consists of cities like Schiedam, Vlaardingen, Spijkenisse, Rijswijk, Delft and Zoetermeer.

Apart from the city itself the municipality consists of the following towns, villages and townships: Beverwaard, Charlois (including Heijplaat), Delfshaven, Feijenoord, Hillegersberg-Schiebroek, Hoek van Holland, Hoogvliet, IJsselmonde, Kralingen-Crooswijk, Noord, Overschie, Pernis, Prins Alexander, and the industrial and port areas Botlek, Eemhaven, Europoort, Maasvlakte, Spaanse Polder, Vondelingenplaat, Waalhaven. [htp 0042]

Harbour

Rotterdam has the largest port in Europe. In 2004 Rotterdam was the seventh largest port in the world in terms of containers (TEU) handled.

Most important for the port of Rotterdam are the petrochemical industry and general cargo transhipment handling. From Rotterdam goods are transported by ship, river barge, train or road. The Nieuwe Waterweg was dug from Rotterdam to the North Sea, a canal to disembogue the shallow Rhine and Meuse. The canal was temporarily shut in the year 1900 when a fire in the city of Rotterdam caused the ports to flood.

Rotterdam's harbour territory has been enlarged by the construction of the Europoort (gate to Europe) complex along the mouth of the Nieuwe Waterweg, and by the Maasvlakte in the North Sea near Hoek van Holland.

History and recent developments

Rotterdam was granted city rights on 7 June 1340 by Willem IV of Holland.

The port of Rotterdam slowly but steadily grew into a port of importance, becoming the seat of one of the six chambers of the VOC, or the Netherlands East India Company.

On May 14, 1940 Rotterdam was bombed by the German Luftwaffe, on the last of five days of war in the Netherlands (save Zeeland).

Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and a number of smaller cities in the west of the country are expanding towards each other to the extent that the entire area is sometimes denoted as a single metropolis known as Randstad.

Demographics

With 55% of the inhabitants earning a low income, Rotterdam has its fair share of typical urban problems, such as dilapidated inner city areas.

Ethnic make-up of the city

Figures are from 2004:

Dutch: 318,672
Surinamese: 52,377
Turkish: 43,550
Moroccan: 34,281
Antillian / Aruban: 20,390
North African (not Moroccan): 18,127
Cape Verdian: 14,919
Other: 97,543

Rotterdam is the city of the Netherlands with the highest percentage of non-western foreigners.

Historical population

1796: 53,200 inhabitants 1830: 72,300 1849: 90,100 1879: 148,100 1899: 318,500 1925: 547,900 1965: 731,000 1984: 555,000 2005: 596,407 2006: 588,576

Geography

Rotterdam is divided into a northern and a southern part by the river Nieuwe Maas, connected by (from west to east): the Beneluxtunnel;

The city center is located on the northern bank of the Nieuwe Maas, although recent urban development has extended the center to parts of southern Rotterdam known as De Kop van Zuid ("the Head of South", i.e. From its inland core, Rotterdam reaches the North Sea by a swath of predominantly harbor area.

Built mostly behind dykes, large parts of the Rotterdam territory are below sea level. For instance, the Prins Alexander Polder in the northeast of Rotterdam well extends 6 meters below sea level, or rather below Normaal Amsterdams Peil (NAP) or Amsterdam Ordnance Datum. The lowest point in the Netherlands (6.76 meters below NAP) is situated just to the east of Rotterdam, in the municipality of Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel.

Education

Rotterdam has one major university, the Erasmus University Rotterdam, named after one of the city's famous former inhabitants, Desiderius Erasmus.

There are also three Hogescholen in Rotterdam.

Students in higher education comprise around 20% of Rotterdam's population.

Museums

Rotterdam has many museums.

Culture

Alongside Porto, Rotterdam was European Capital of Culture in 2001. The city has its own orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra with its world famous musical director Valery Gergiev, a large congress and concert building called De Doelen, plus many theatres (including the new Luxor theatre) and movie theatres. A major zoo called "Diergaarde Blijdorp" is situated at the northwest side of Rotterdam, complete with a walkthrough sea aquarium called "Oceanium".

The city is home to the Rotterdam Academy of Fine Arts.

Rotterdam is currently going through somewhat of a renaissance, with some urban renewal projects featuring ambitious architecture, an increasingly sparkling nightlife, and a host of summer festivals celebrating the city's multicultural population and identity, such as the Caribbean-inspired 'Summer Carnival', the Dance Parade, Rotterdam 666, the Metropolis pop festival and the World Harbour days. There are also the International Film Festival in January, the Poetry International Festival in June, the North Sea Jazz Festival in July, the Valery Gergiev Festival in September, September in Rotterdam and the World of the Witte de With.

The self-image of the city is that of a no-nonsense workers' city. There is a popular saying: "Amsterdam to party, Den Hague to live, Rotterdam to work".

Rotterdam has had a rich hiphop scene since the early 1980s. Bands like Neophyte and Rotterdam Terror Corps (RTC) started in Rotterdam.

Architecture and skyline

In 1898 the 45 meter high rise office building, the White House was completed, at that time the tallest office building in Europe.

In the first decades of the 20th century some influential architecture in the modern style was built in Rotterdam. During the early stages of World War II the center of Rotterdam was bombed by the Germans, destroying much of the older buildings in the center of the city. After initial crisis re-construction the center of Rotterdam has become the site of ambitious new architecture.

Rotterdam is also famous for its Kubuswoningen or cube houses built by architect Piet Blom in 1984. In addition to that there are many international well known architects based in Rotterdam like O.M.A (Rem Koolhaas), MVRDV and Neutelings &

Rotterdam houses several of the tallest structures in the Netherlands.

The Erasmus Bridge (1996) is a 2,600-foot cable stayed bridge linking the north and south of Rotterdam. Rotterdam has the tallest residential building in the Netherlands, called Montevideo: 152 meter Rotterdam is also home to the tallest office building Delftse Poort: 151 meter, which houses Nationale Nederlanden insurance company, part of ING Group.

Rotterdam has a reputation in being a platform for the architectural discourse and education;

Rotterdam is standing in the best European SkylineTop together with Frankfurt, Warsaw and Paris.

Sports

Rotterdam is the home of three Eredivisie (i.e.

Sparta, founded in 1888 and situated in the northwest of Rotterdam, won the national title in 1959;

Rotterdam has its own annual international marathon, which offers one of the fastest courses in the world.

In field hockey, Rotterdam has the largest hockey club in the Netherlands, HC Rotterdam, with it's own stadium in the north of the city and nearly 2.400 members.

Shopping

Well-known streets in Rotterdam are the shopping center the Lijnbaan (the first set of pedestrian streets of the country, opened in 1953), the Hoogstraat, the Coolsingel with the city hall, and the Weena, which runs from the Central Station to the Hofplein (square). A modern shopping venue is the Beurstraverse ("Stock Exchange Traverse"), better known by the informal name "Koopgoot" ("Buying/Shopping Gutter", after its low-lying position, crossing Rotterdam's main street Coolsingel below street level).

The main shopping venue in the south of Rotterdam is Zuidplein, which lies close to Ahoy' Rotterdam, an accommodation center for shows, exhibitions, sporting events, concerts and congresses. Another prominent shopping center, called Alexandrium (sometimes still called by its former name "Oosterhof"), lies in the east of Rotterdam.

Commerce and industry

Rotterdam is home to the Dutch half of Unilever, and Mittal Steel Company N.V., the world's largest steel company.

Rotterdam has the largest port of Europe. The Port of Rotterdam has a strong relationship with the Port of Shanghai, the only port in the world exceeding the port of Rotterdam in terms of containers and oil shipped. In the centre of the city you find the above mentioned Unilever offices, but also Robeco, Fortis (including Mees Pierson and Stad Rotterdam Verzekeringen) ABN AMRO, ING (Nationale Nederlanden) and the Rotterdam WTC.

Yearly events

January: International Film Festival Rotterdam April-June Marathon Rotterdam Dunya Festival July: Metropolis Music Festival August: Pleinbioscoop June till September: the Rotterdam Summerfestivals, including North Sea Jazz Festival (second weekend of July) Summer Carnival Bavaria City Racing (Formule 1 / race car demonstrations) FFWD Heineken Dance Parade (technoparade), September: World Port Days (2006: 1, 2 and 3 September) (in Dutch) Gergiev Festival Rotterdam

Public transport

Rotterdam is well connected in international, national, regional and local public transport systems.

Airport

Although much smaller than the international hub Schiphol airport, Rotterdam Airport (formerly known as "Zestienhoven") is the second largest airport in the country.

Train

Rotterdam is well connected to the Netherlands railroad system, and has several international connections. The train system hosts:

Seven railway stations within the city boundaries (Rotterdam Centraal, Rotterdam Blaak, Rotterdam Alexander, Rotterdam Noord, Rotterdam Zuid, Rotterdam Lombardijen, Rotterdam Stadion (next to De Kuip, only open for events). Several semi-fast services and local trains originate or call at Rotterdam Centraal;

Lightrail

To bridge the gap between national train services and local public transportation the Netherlands Randstad is currently developing a regional lightrail system called Randstad Rail.

Metro

Since 1968, Rotterdam has had the first Dutch metro system, consisting of two main lines.

Erasmus Line: Rotterdam Central station - Albrandswaard (Rhoon, Poortugaal) - Hoogvliet - Spijkenisse Caland Line: two lines from the northeast of Rotterdam (Ommoord and since September 2005 to the new constructed neighbourhood Nesselande (before it ended at Zevenkamp which is one stop before Nesselande), both in Prins Alexander) and one from Capelle aan den IJssel join; the combined line terminated in the west of Rotterdam, but on November 4, 2002, an extension was opened: the line now connects to the main railway network at Schiedam railway station, has a stop in Pernis and joins the Erasmus Line in Hoogvliet;

See also: List of Rotterdam metro stations, List of rapid transit systems.

Tram

Rotterdam offers 9 tramlines with a total length of 93.4 kilometers.

Bus

Rotterdam offers 38 buslines with a total length of 432.7 kilometers.

Famous Rotterdammers

Madelon Baans Leo Beenhakker Thea Beckman Pascal Bosschaart Mart Bras Finnola Marieke van Wonig Giovanni van Bronckhorst Willem Pieterszoon Buytewech Ferry Corsten Jules Deelder Julian "Bean" Delphiki (literary character) Edsger Dijkstra André van Duijn

Desiderius Erasmus Pim Fortuyn Ida Gerhardt Jacobus van 't Hoff Marianne Heemskerk Betty Heukels Leen Jansen Bep van Klaveren Piet van Klaveren Rem Koolhaas Wim Jansen Willem de Kooning Neelie Kroes Kruimeltje (literary character) Ruud Lubbers Paul de Leeuw Rie Mastenbroek

Fatima Moreira de Melo Robin van Persie Hillegonda Rietveld (of Quando Quango) Reinier Rietveld (of Spasmodique) Nida Senff Hendrik Martenszoon Sorgh Brenda Starink Ron Steens Marten Toonder Renate Verbaan Berry Westra Bob den Uyl Faas Wilkes

See also: List of mayors of Rotterdam

Town twinning

Rotterdam participates in international town twinning.

13 Sister Cities 12 Partner Cities 4 Sister Ports

Sister Cities

Baltimore, USA, Since 1985 Burgas, Bulgaria, Since 1976 Cologne, Germany, Since 1958 Constanţa, Romania, Since 1976 Dresden, Germany, Since 1988 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxemburg, Since 1958 Gdansk, Poland, Since 1977 Havana, Cuba, Since 1983 Lille, France, Since 1958 Luik, Belgium, Since 1958 Saint Petersburg, Russia, Since 1984 Shanghai, China, Since 1979 Turin, Italy, Since 1958

Partner Cities

Antwerpen, Belgium, Since 1940 Basel, Switzerland, Since 1945 Bratislava, Slovakia, Since 1991 Budapest, Hungary, Since 1991 Duisburg, Germany, Since 1950 Durban, South Africa, Since 1991 Hull, United Kingdom, Since 1936 Jakarta, Indonesia, Since 1983 Nuremberg, Germany, Since 1961 Osaka, Japan, Since 1984 Oslo, Norway, Since 1945 Prague, Czech Republic, Since 1991

Sister Ports

Kobe, Japan, Since 1967 Tokyo, Japan, Since 1989 Seattle, USA, Since 1969 Pusan, Republic of Korea, Since 1987