A brief history of Rotterdam

A time of growth and expansion

After the Napoleonic Wars, the entire country was filled with positivity as trade was revived. Though it took a lot of work to get the port of Rotterdam back in shape, such as digging a new canal to connect the city to the North Sea, a bright future lay ahead. At the end of the nineteenth century Rotterdam went through a massive growth spurt, with the city and the harbour expanding to the south side of the river.

One year after the new canal was put in use, the Holland-Amerika line was established in Rotterdam. In 1901, it moved its headquarters into the now famous Hotel New York, which is not far from where you can visit the former flagship of the company the SS Rotterdam. While in 1898, the Witte Huis, Europe’s first high rise building, was constructed in the city reaching 45 metres.

Destruction and post-war reconstruction

The 20^th-century was not as kind to the city of Rotterdam, especially the World War II. When the Netherlands were invaded, there was strong resistance. On 14 May 1940, the fourth day of the invasion, the Nazis bombed Rotterdam, destroying most of the city centre and forcing the Dutch army to capitulate.

The destruction has been captured in the statue ‘The Destroyed City’, which you can see on Plein 1940. After the war, much of the city had to be rebuilt, which has given the city centre a very modern look and feel, with the occasional old building still standing. In 1948, a new motto was added to the city’s coat of arms: Sterker door strijd (Stronger through struggle).

There are plenty of examples of modern structures that have made Rotterdam the architecture capital of the Netherlands. Places that should be on any visitors must visit list include the iconic yellow Cube Houses and the Markhal, the Erasmus Bridge and the Euromast. From the Euromast’s viewing platform you can see the entire city spread out before you, both the old parts like Delfshaven and the modern, reconstructed parts.