Apart from the center the municipality consists of the following towns,
villages and townships: 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.
Harbour
Rotterdam has the largest port in the world, which functions as an important
transit point for goods transported between the European continent and other
parts of the world: by ship, river barge, train and road. A faster, new
cargo railway to Germany, the Betuweroute, has been under construction since
2000. The city is in constant struggle to maintain its prominent position as
a world leader in container, petrol, and general cargo transhipment
handlings. Large oil refineries are located west of the city along the
Nieuwe Waterweg. The Maas provides excellent access to the hinterland.
Its harbour territory has been enlarged by the construction of the Europoort
complex along the mouth of the Nieuwe Waterweg, and the Maasvlakte in the
North Sea near Hoek van Holland. The lay-out of a second Maasvlakte was the
subject of political debate since the 1990s; its construction has now been
agreed and will be partly government-financed, as announced in a June 25,
2004
History and recent developments
Rotterdam was given city rights on June 7, 1340 by Willem IV of Holland.
On May 14, 1940 Rotterdam was bombarded by the German Luftwaffe, on the last
of five days of war in the Netherlands. The heart of the city was almost
completely destroyed, which Ossip Zadkine later expressed strikingly with
his statue Stad zonder hart (City without a heart). The statue is located
near the Leuvehaven, not far from the Erasmusbrug in the north of the city.
From the fifties through the seventies of the 20th century the city was
rebuilt. It remained quite windy and open until the city councils from the
eighties on began developing an active architectural policy. Daring and new
styles of apartments, office buildings and recreation facilities resulted in
a more 'livable' city center with a new skyline. In the nineties a new
business center on the south bank of the river, the Kop van Zuid has been
built.
Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hague 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 metropole known as Randstad.
Geography
Rotterdam is divided into 'Rotterdam-North' and ' Rotterdam-South' by the
river Nieuwe Maas (for connections see that article). A former railway
bridge, movable upward to let ships pass, is preserved as a monument, now
permanently in upward position . Rotterdam South is on the island of
IJsselmonde. Rotterdam has the second largest airport of the country,
Rotterdam Airport (formerly known as Zestienhoven), which is located north
of the city.
Education
Rotterdam has one major university, the Erasmus University Rotterdam, named
after one of its famous former inhabitants, Desiderius Erasmus.
Museums
Well known museums are the Boymans-van Beuningen (arts) Museum , the
Historisch Museum, the Volkenkundig Museum (foreign peoples and cultures),
the Maritiem Museum and the Brandweermuseum (Fire brigade museum). The
Euromast (Eurotower) has long been a major tourist attraction.
Culture
Rotterdam was the European Culture Capital of 2001. The city has its own
orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, a large congress and
concert building De Doelen, plus many theatres (among which the new Luxor
theatre) and movie theatres. The spacious Ahoy-complex in the south of the
city is being used for pop concerts, exhibitions, tennis tournaments and
other such activities. The hard techno music style Gabber originated from
Rotterdam. The architect J. J. P. Oud was a famous Rotterdammer in his days.
The city is home to the Rotterdam Academy of Fine Arts.
Rotterdam is currently going through somewhat of a renaissance, with some
moderately successful urban renewal projects featuring ambitious
architecture ('Manhattan on The Maas'), an increasingly sparkling nightlife,
and a host of summer festivals celebrating the city's multicultural
population, such as the Brasil-inspired 'Summer Carnival'.
The self-image of the city is that of a no-nonsense workers' city. In that
sense, there is a healthy competition with Amsterdam, which is often viewed
as the 'cultural' capital of the Netherlands.
Sport
Rotterdam is the home of three professional football teams: Feyenoord,
Sparta (Schiedam-Spangen) and Excelsior. The large Feyenoord stadium with
its popular name De Kuip (The Tub) in the southeast of the city has hosted
many international soccer games. Rotterdam has its own annual international
marathon, which offers one of the fastest courses in the world. It is the
home of Gabber music, a type of techno music with fast beats and samples.
Shopping
Well-known streets in Rotterdam are the shopping center the Lijnbaan (the
first one of the country with streets for pedestrians only, opened in 1953),
the Coolsingel with the city hall, and the Weena, which runs from the
Central Station to the Hofplein (square).
Public transport
Train
good national connections and to Belgium and France;
at night: hourly train service to Delft, The Hague, Leiden, Schiphol
Airport, Amsterdam and, with a detour, Utrecht.
Metro
Erasmus Line: Rotterdam Central station - Albrandswaard (Rhoon, Poortugaal)
- Hoogvliet - Spijkenisse
Caland Line: two lines from the northeast of Rotterdam 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; trains on the Caland Line, like
those on the Erasmus Line, terminate in Spijkenisse.
The eastern parts of the Caland Line have some level crossings (with
priority), and could therefore be called light rail instead of underground;
however, they are integrated in the system; these parts have overhead wires,
while the rest has a third rail, the vehicles can handle both.
Fast Ferry
Rotterdam Willemskade - Krimpen aan den IJssel Stormpolder - Ridderkerk De
Schans - Alblasserdam Kade - Dordrecht Merwekade
