Rotterdam (Netherlands)

The dynamic port and trading centre Rotterdam was destroyed by German bombers in 1940 and continued to suffer under Nazi occupation until 1945. Forty-three years later Dresden and Rotterdam signed a twinning agreement, recognising the many parallels in their post-war development. Regular youth group exchanges stand in the foreground of the fertile relationship.

Population: 584,107

Geographical location: On the main northern arm of the Nieuwe Maas, in the Rhine estuary to the North Sea; province of South Holland.

Profile: Rotterdam is the second-largest city and at the same time the industrial heart of the Netherlands. The city began as a small fishing settlement on the banks of the River Rotte in 1250, hence the name Rotterdam. The original settlement gradually gained in size and importance, and was one of the few cities able to defend its free access to the sea during the wars with Spain. This led to economic upswing, and the city was the second-largest port in the country at the end of the 17th century. Rotterdam suffered extensive destruction during the Second World War. Large areas of the city lay in ashes, and the programme of reconstruction yielded many of the new buildings which still today dominate the city skyline. The port remains of prime importance for the city, as a trading centre for oil, ores, grain and salt. Alongside a full range of marine services, important local branches are mechanical engineering, chemicals, wood, textiles, electrical apparatus and the automotive industry.

Tips: Rotterdam is a very modern business, trade fair and university city. The historical core of Old Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War. The 16th-century Pilgrimsvaderkerk church and the small, picturesque houses of the Delfshaven district from the 17th century are witnesses to bygone times. Rotterdam offers a number of modern architectural highlights, for example the Erasmus Bridge, the so-called Cube Houses and Blaak railway station. The city has developed a new modern face over the past twenty years. This is one place where it is never boring - the countless museums and events take care of that. Art lovers flock to the Bymans van Beuningen Museum (sculpture and painting), and the Maritime Museum takes visitors out into the wide world. Annuals festivals cater for every taste: Poetry International in June, Summer Carnival and the Heineken Jazz and Blues Festival in August or the Rotterdam Organ Festival in summer.

Rotterdam

Mayor of the City of Rotterdam

Ahmed Aboutaleb

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Postal address

Postbus 70012
3000 KP Rotterdam
NETHERLANDS

International Relations Department

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Phone 0031-10-4173456
Fax 0031-10-4130786
Website City of Rotterdam

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Postal address

Postbus 70012
3000 KP Rotterdam
NETHERLANDS