A few Well-known Sculptures of Rotterdam

Rotterdam has more than 200 sculptures in the public space. Just like the architecture of the city, most of the sculptures are modern as well. Last Tuesday I wrote about the Sculpture Route on the Westersingel. Today I’ll tell you something about a few of the most popular sculptures the city has to offer!

The Erasmussculpture – Hendrick de Keyser

The oldest sculpture the city has is a statue of Desiderius Erasmus, designed by Hendrick de Keyser. The sculpture was first made of wood, and was cast in bronze in 1622. With that it became the first bronze statue in the Netherlands, as well as the first non-religious statue. For years the sculpture was placed on the big market square, but when it came out unharmed from the bombardment it was transferred secretly to the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen.

After the war the sculpture got its current position at the Grotekerkplein in front of the Sint-Laurenschurch.

The Destroyed City – Ossip Zadkine

The Destroyed City is a sculpture made as memorial for the bombardment on Rotterdam. The story tells that Zadkine got inspiration in the train back from Paris. From the train he saw the completely faded away center in the middle of Rotterdam.

The bronze sculpture is a human figure without an hart. This is symbolic for the heart of the city that has been lost in the bombardment.

The sculpture is given as a present by the management board of the Bijenkorf, but only if the sculpture would stay on its place. On the 15^th of May 1953 the sculpture was revealed at Plein 1940 which is at the Leuvenhaven. Even though the discussion comes up every few years, it still stays put there.

The Stylized Flower – Naum Gabo

A few years later, in 1957, one of the most well-known works of Naum Gabo was revealed in front of the, back then, new Bijenkorf. The sculpture is known as the most important work in his oeuvre. Different from the other sculptures discusses, this is not a statue, nor is it property of the city. The artwork is 26.2 meters high and its maximum width are 4.8 meter and 5.2 meter. The work consists of four steal main ribs, and four inner ribs, which is then again filled with a smaller “inner image”.

The sculpture was property of the Bijenkorf until 2007. Since then it’s property of a real estate consortium.

The Kissing Earth – Olafur Eliasson

Alright, even though the sculpture is not realized yet, it has to be (according to the committee) “a new groundbreaking sculpture”. It had to be a “second Zadkine”. This sculpture The Kissing Earth, will be placed at the new station square. It already got the nickname ‘the balls of Rotterdam’.

The work will consist of two globes that touch each other where Rotterdam is placed, which is a symbol for the optimism of the city. It presents Rotterdam as metropolis, but at the same time the sculpture is very contemporary as well.

However, not everybody is happy with it just yet. A large group would rather see the Zadkine statue at the square, another group thinks it’s a shame to fill up the large space.

Would you love to live in Rotterdam? Check our website Domica Rotterdam.

 

De Westersingel – The International Sculpture Route

As mentioned before was Rotterdam titled Cultural Capital of 2001 and for this reason did the Westersingel get a more prominent role in cultural Rotterdam. The Sculpture route that is very popular with the tourists starts from a little further than Central Station and leads to the museum park. Would you love to follow the whole route? Take a look at www.openbarekunst.nl/routes  for the international route or any other sculpture routes through the city.

De singel (=Canal) was created because of the ‘Water project’ from the 19^th century. The plan was designed in 1841 by the architect Willem Nicolaas Rose, who worked together with Jan Arent Scholten. This ‘Water project’ had three functions:

·         Drainage of the rainwater and garbage

·         Dumping of garbage

·         Source of drinking water

This plan was made to prevent any cholera outbreaks that haunted Rotterdam in the 19^th century. These canals would help, because they were connected with the Maas so that enough clean water would be able to flow into the city. Between 1870 and 1900 there were mansions built at the canal. These are still to be seen today, because the Westersingel wasn’t hit by the bombardments.

Seen in cultural sense, the canal got interesting in 19898, when it became part of the sculpture route ‘Sculptures in the City’. This was a large open air exposition throughout the whole city. A few of these sculptures are still part of the current route. A few of these remaining sculptures are: De Kringloop van Frans en Marja de Boer Lichtveld and The Long Thin Yellow Legs of Architecture van Coop Himmelb(l)au.

In the year 2000 and 2001 the canal was renovated. They built a terrace where most of the current sculptures are placed on, hence its name: sculpture terrace. At the moment there are 17 sculptures on the Westersingel and is the perfect walking route for a lovely autumn day!

Would you love to live near the Westersingel in Rotterdam? Check our website DomicaRotterdam!

Rotterdam European City of Culture 2001

So Rotterdam has been chosen as European city 2015, which will obviously add to the tourism  of the city. However, it’s not the first time that the city obtains international recognition. This happened before in 2001 when the city, together with the city Porto, were chosen as European City of Culture 2001.

What is this European city of Culture?

This international title European City of Culture (ECOC) can be earned by cities that been through a large growth of cultural worth. Even though cities might have different motivations for obtaining the title, there is an overlapping motivation: the title always improves the international image of the city. This, in the end, will lead to growth of cultural activities which automatically leads to more visitors.

Rotterdam

So what has Rotterdam after having the title in 2001? The direct numbers after this year were 2.3 million visitors that joined the 524 activities that took place in that year. One in five day-visitors in that year came especially because of the title.

Next to that they have much cultural heritage left. Obviously this year didn’t only give a boost to the touristic numbers, but also to the cultural interest in the city. There were more sculptures placed in the public sphere, such as the sculpture route at the Westersingel.

But something also changed on emotional level, according to Bart van Meggelen, intendant during 2001. He says that the title has given the Rotterdammers confidence. The cultural year has worked as a symbolic completion of the reconstruction after the war. Perhaps this was exactly what was needed to become the European city of 2015!

Which Dutch city will follow?

Which Dutch city will be the next in obtaining the title European city of Culture? According to the latest news Leeuwarden(which is in the province Friesland) will be City of Culture in 2018.

Their cultural plan will be from 2014 up to 2019, with 2018 as peak year, in which they will have at least 40 large cultural events.

It’s definitely worth it to keep an eye on the festivities that will take place coming years in Rotterdam and Leewarden!

Would you love to live in Rotterdam? Check our website Domica Rotterdam

for your dream house! 

Rotterdam in the Spotlights!

Rotterdam is in the international spotlights for the second time this year, by winning the titel of European city of the year 2015. The winning city is picked by The Academy of Urbanism in London and the choice is based on seven criteria: attraction, local character, economy, durability, wellbeing and accessibility.

This is not the first time that the city proves its international popularity. At the beginning of this year, Rotterdam was placed 10^th by the New York Times of the 52 places to visit this year. This is probably because 2014 is an important year for the city. With the (re) opening of popular attractions of the city. For example, the new Central  Station opened on the 14^th of March, the new Market Hal opened last month and in February the Kunsthal reopened its doors.

The Academy of Urbanism consist of more than 500 scientists, politicians, and specialists in the field of urban and regional developments. Its because of this that The Academy doesn’t focus only on the previous year. They investigated the archives and came to the conclusion that the city has developed in a notable way.

According to the jury rapport, they were impressed by the openness of the city, there are only a few places that are inaccessible. Rotterdam characterizes by its young, open and tolerant community that supports innovative architecture, urbanism, and new business models. Next to a strong vision and master plan there is a positive “let’s do it to see what happens” culture, says The Academy.

Ronald Schneider, the alderman of the city, accepted the award. According to him the city “deserved” it. The direct competitors of the title were Aarhus in Denmark and Turin in Italy. Marseille was last year’s winner.

Read next Thursday about Rotterdam Cultural Capital 2001.

Would you love to live in Rotterdam? Check Domica Rotterdam for more information!

The city by bike

 

Going for a walk is obviously a healthy and fun way to explore the city. The internet and the tourist office of Rotterdam will be able to supply you with all the needed walking routes possible…. But, what’s more Dutch than to go for a bicycle ride?

Rotterdam has a lot of attractions spread out on a large surface, that’s why it’s almost impossible to see them all by foot. Cycling makes it much easier. There are multiple options to spend your day by bike.

1.       Internet/VVV

You can go to the tourist information office, or just look up a route on the internet. You can pick just a route through the center of the city that takes you by all the top attractions, or when you’re less in the mood for the urban ride, you can also go for one of the nature routes.

With the help of Fietsen in Regio Rotterdam you can even build your own route! All you have to do is choose what you want to see during your trip, and the websitedoes the rest!

2.       Cycling route with guide

Naturally, there are also bycicle tours which include a guide! These arrangements are available from 2 hours to a whole day program. Again, you can choose exactly what you want: Do you want to see the inner city? The Old and new buildings of the city? Or are you more interested in the harbors of Rotterdam? The day arrangements are provided with lunch, coffee and a drink at multiple popular places of the city.

Naturally, you can also rent a bike! Look for more information on Rotterdambycycle.

3.       Dinnertour by bike

We wouldn’t be Dutch if we didn’t use the bicycle for everything! We cycle to that one dinner, or to the other bar we are supposed to meet with friends. Now you can also enjoy a 3-course meal at 3 different locations! All you have to do is cycle to the other location in between. You can do this with a guide, who in the meantime tells you some nice facts about the city.

Or you can divide your company in teams and race each other to the next restaurant.

There are so many fun things you can do by bike to explore Rotterdam even further! Did you already think of a pub-crawl by bike? Or maybe even a treasure hunt? The possibilities are endless!

Would you love to live in Rotterdam? Check Domica Rotterdam for more information! 

Feyenoord and De Kuip

Rotterdam is the only city in the Netherlands that has three professional football clubs: Feyenoord, Sparta Rotterdam and SBV Excelsior. The only other city that has more than one professional football club is Eindhoven (PSV and FC Eindhoven). Even though Sparta Rotterdam (1888) is the oldest professional club of the Netherlands, is Feyenoord of the three clubs, the most well-known. Next to that is Feyenoord part of the original top three clubs of the Netherlands.

Feyenoord was established on the 19^th of july 1908 and has as home base Stadion Feyenoord, or better known as De Kuip (the Tub). It took the club16 years for its first real success. Three years after the promotion to the highest league the club won the Dutch national championship. After this another 13 national championships were won, next to the 11x KNVB cup, the 1 time victory of the Europacup I (The precursor of the Champions League), twice a victory of the UEFA Cup and one time winner of the worldcup. On the UEFA-ranking of the best clubs of Europe Feyenoord is positioned on the 131^st place with 11.862 points. Six other Dutch clubs are higher ranked (PSV, Ajax, FC Twente, AZ, sc Heerenveen and FC Utrecht).  

It’s not the club alone that has an important place in the city, the club stadion has also taken a fixed place in the heart of the citizens in Rotterdam. The construction of the stadion began in 1935 from the designs of the architect Leendert van der Vlugt. However, the real big name behind the construction is Leen van Zandvliet, the chairman of the club in the 1930’s. He wanted a stadium with a ‘loose’ second ring, so that the view of the spectators wouldn’t be hampered. The opening was on the 27^th of March 1937, the official opening took place on 23^rd of that same year.

The Tub was groundbreaking in its architecture. The second tribune that hangs like a balcony above the first ring is the first of its kind. Before that there was no other stadium that had a second ring without pillars in the view. Also the continuous, circular tribune was new. Next to that the use of steel and glass makes the stadium fresh and airy, an effect that they couldn’t achieve with the use of concrete.

The Tub has been on the verge of its destruction. During the Second World War there was a need for steel. Since the main material of the stadium is steel, the Germans wanted to take it apart. According to popular stories the chairman lied about the amount of steel it would yield. This took away the interest in the demolish.

In 1984 the second threat occurred, when the municipalities of Rotterdam and Amsterdam wanted to bring the Olympic games of 1992 to the Netherlands. They made plans for an Olympic stadium that would be placed on the place of the Feyenoord Stadium. These plans were fortunately never realized.

In the 90’s they found carbonation and erosion in the Stadium. Even though demolishing was an option, the choice came on renovation. Because of this the stadium is largely covered and is open for other events as well.

You can, for example, enjoy a guided tour through the Stadium, or you can organize a drink with your company or even a sports clinic. But foremost you can obviously enjoy one of the home games of Feyenoord. 

Would you like to live in Rotterdam? Check Domica Rotterdam for more information! 

The fire limits

That Rotterdam has a seemingly short history is already clear when taken a look at the overpowering modern architecture of the city. However, our city has its roots in the 13^th century. The modern history can be lead back to 1850, when the harbors went through an exponential growth, which was followed by the rest of the city.

In the time the city prepared itself for its 600^th birthday, in 1940, the German bombardments hit the whole center of the city. The fire that came from the bombardment took 4 days to put out and left an almost empty landscape. More than 24.000 houses were destroyed. About 800 people died and 80.000 people became homeless.

The plans for a reconstructions were soon made, but the work only really began properly after the war. The city got the image of a ‘working city’ and developed itself as model for modernity.

The fire limits (De Brandgrens) indicates where the German bombardment had its destroying effect. The city council decided in 2006 to permanently mark the fire limits, to create a place for memorial and to help to tell the history of the city.

In 2010 this project was finally completed. The marking consist of lights in the pavement that light up red at night. The lights are decorated with a burning Rotterdam, a German bomber and the sculpture The Destroyed City by Ossip Zadkine.

Connected with the fire line is an audio tour, that unfortunately is currently only offered in Dutch. However, the route still provides a lovely overview of the city with its modern as well as historic buildings. Would you love to follow this lovely city walk this weekend? Take a look at Brandgrens for the map!

Would you like to live in Rotterdam? Take a look at Domica Rotterdam for more information!

Shopping in Rotterdam and the Koopgoot

The perfect place to go shopping in Rotterdam is definitely the Beurtraverse, or as called by the Dutch: de Koopgoot, which translates into the not so flattering name: “The Shopping Gutter”. The traverse, built in 1991 till 1996, underpasses Rotterdam’s most expensive street the Coolsingel.

The Beginning

The traverse used to be a subway station (the Beurs) and a walking passage, to reduce the amount of people crossing the Coolsingel and improve the traffic. Unfortunately not many people choose this way, so they made plans to expand the Rotterdam gutter into a shopping mall.

And now?

The ‘underground’ shopping mall connects two of the busiest shopping streets of the city: the Hoogstraat and the Lijnbaan. You can enter ‘the gutter’ by either side via the stairs. Midway there is an escalator, but you can also enter one of the large shopping malls such as H&M or the Bijenkorf and exit on the bottom floor. Usually the smaller stores only have a shopping area on the ground floor, this way you can continue shopping without the hassle of the busy traffic at the Coolsingel.

In the summer, childrend can have fun refreshment due to the ‘running’ water fountains that emerge from the ground at the Koopgoot. As far as public transport goes, the subway station is still located in the middle of the gutter, but there are also tramstops at the Lijnbaan side.

The Perfect Shopping Route?

From the Lijnbaan you can enter the Koopgoot, walk the Hoogstraat and end for a drink at the new Markthal! Would you like to have some more exclusive shops? You can better start at the Markthal and make your way to the Van Oldenbarneveltstraat. This street is also near the Koopgoot, but offers a wide selection of luxurious and exclusive shops and restaurants. This is doesn’t mean you can’t go there with a smaller budget; the Oldenbarneveltstraat is very divers in its shops.

Would you like to live near the Koopgoot? Check out Domica Rotterdam for more information!