Here's the thing about Rotterdam. It doesn't look like Amsterdam, even though it's only about an hour and a half train ride away. See, during the Second World War, Germany sent a message to the Netherlands, demanding surrender. If the Netherlands did not surrender immediately, Germany would bomb the nation's most prosperous port city, Rotterdam. The Netherlands quickly surrendered. The thing is, Germany didn't get it until after they'd wiped the entire city center off the map through bombs and the subsequent fire.
That's why what used to look like this:
Now looks like this:
The whole city is completely devoted to modern architecture. My favorite was the cube houses. Yeah, people actually live here:
The whole city is under construction. There are still a few parts that were amazingly spared from the fires, solely because of how the winds were blowing that day. So there's some interesting contrast.
That white building was the tallest building in Europe for about 50 years. You wouldn't think so. Now it's not even the tallest in Rotterdam.
Someone asked our tour guide, who was an architect who grew up and worked in Rotterdam his whole life, if people were bothered by the constant, overwhelming construction.
He said they loved the sight of construction, because it meant growth and life as opposed to destruction. The whole atmosphere of the city is still directed by the bombing, and it's constantly remembered in artwork throughout the city, like this statue:
See how his heart is missing?
So, a trip to Rotterdam. A typical Friday in my life now, I guess.
1 comment:
Interesting! Thanks for bringing us along.
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