This large and modern port city has risen phoenixlike from the ashes of World War II. In 1940 the Germans bombed the city to force a fast surrender of the Netherlands. Most demolition was actually done in the process or rebuilding the city to modern standards. Only three large buildings in the center have survived miraculously: the city hall, the St. Laurence church and the White House.
Today Rotterdam’s the most modern city in the Netherlands, with the high rising towers of company buildings in the center. Some people think it became a playground for architects trying their theories and thus making Rotterdam one giant wind tunnel, but you can really feel things are happening here.
Symbol of Rotterdam is the Euromast Space Tower, 605-ft-/184-m-tall that had to be extended several times to keep its leading position as highest building of the Meuse city. From this tower with its revolving sit-down elevator you have an excellent over the city and the surrounding industrial harbour landscape.The harbour is one of the busiest in the world is a draw in itself and still the largest one if you count by pure volume.
A city like this can’t do without Rotterdam,Museums:museums. A collection of painting, sculpture and design worth seeing is displayed at the Boymans-van-Beuningen Museum. Half a day in Rotterdam is really sufficient for most, but you can also spend several days if you want to see it all. The Dutch institutes of photography and of architecture are located right near the center, and there are lots of galleries. In February there’s always the Film festival and every other year there’s a photo biennale. The Kunsthal, designed by the famous architect Rem Koolhaas, has changing exhibitions on all sorts of expressions of art and culture.
Next year Rotterdam has the honour to be the European City of Culture and it really deserves this appellation; it is a culture melting pot. The cream of this melting pot comes floating to the surface at night, when the Rotterdam,Clubs & Dancing:hottest clubs in the Netherlands open their doors.
