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72-526: Cason was en route from Rotterdam to Shanghai with a cargo of various chemicals loaded at Hamburg , Rotterdam and Antwerp . The ship was owned by a Hong Kong company and registered in Panama. Of the 31 crew, the captain and chief engineer were from Hong Kong and the remainder Chinese . Shortly before dawn on 5 December 1987 an explosion occurred 23 miles off the Spanish coast at Cape Finisterre , setting

144-423: A few stages for pop music , like Rotown , Poortgebouw and Annabel. Additionally, the venue WORM focuses on experimental music , as well as various other cultural activities. WORM also screens films and hosts a film lab, Filmwerkplaats . In fact, Rotterdam has an extensive film history, ranging from avant-garde classics, such as The Bridge ( Ivens , 1928), to internationally acclaimed documentaries from

216-511: A large part of Rotterdam's multi-ethnic and multicultural diversity. 52.9% of the population have at least one parent born outside the country. There are 80,000 Muslims, constituting 13% of the population in 2010. The former mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb (2009-2024), is of Moroccan descent and is a practicing Muslim. The city is home to the largest Dutch Antillean community in the Netherlands. The city also has its own China Town at

288-574: A population of only a few thousand. Around the year 1350, a shipping canal (the Rotterdamse Schie ) was completed, which provided Rotterdam access to the larger towns in the north, allowing it to become a local trans-shipment centre between the Netherlands, England and Germany , and to urbanize . Beginning in the 1600's, Rotterdam was involved in the Atlantic slave trade . According to historian Gerhard de Kok, "Rotterdam merchants were

360-801: A port of importance, becoming the seat of one of the six "chambers" of the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC), the Dutch East India Company and one of the five "chambers" of the West-Indische Compagnie (WIC), the Dutch West India Company . The greatest spurt of growth, both in port activity and population, followed the completion of the Nieuwe Waterweg in 1872. The city and harbour started to expand on

432-593: A range of festivals and other events, and a buzzing nightlife. The city has its own orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra , with its well-regarded young music director Lahav Shani , which plays at the congress and concert building De Doelen . The Ahoy complex in the south of the city is used for pop concerts, exhibitions, tennis tournaments and other activities. There are also several theatres and cinemas, including LantarenVenster and Cinerama. Alongside Porto , Rotterdam

504-505: A reminder also for posterity of the courage and strength with which the people of Rotterdam bore all the trials of the war and the important part they took in the liberation of the fatherland.... —Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Rotterdam was gradually rebuilt from the 1950s through to the 1970s. Because the city centre was largely destroyed, new spatial infrastructure could be built, making it an open and modern city. In 1953

576-667: A selective roster of emerging international artists. The Hoboken campus of EUR houses the Dijkzigt (general) hospital, the Sophia Hospital (for children), Daniel den Hoed clinic (cancer institute) and the medical department of the university. They are known collectively as the Erasmus Medical Center . This center is ranked third in Europe by CSIC as a hospital, and is also ranked within top 50 universities of

648-596: A single conurbation. They share the Rotterdam The Hague Airport and a light rail system called RandstadRail . Consideration is being given to creating an official Metropolitan region Rotterdam The Hague ( Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag ), which would have a combined population approaching 2.5 million. In its turn, the Rijnmond conurbation is part of the southern wing (the Zuidvleugel ) of

720-417: A sodium compound, 110 tons of aniline oil, 6 tons of ethanol (grain alcohol) and 10 tons of an flammable liquid of Grade 9 (maximum) danger", and the governor of A Coruña , Andres Moreno Aguilar, confirmed the list as accurate. There were rumours of nuclear material. Recovery of the dangerous substances that had not been swept into the sea by waves was completed on 12 December, after a deck was removed to access

792-565: A temperate oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfb ) similar to all of the coastal areas in the Netherlands. Located near to the coast, its climate is slightly milder than locations further inland. Winters are cool with frequent cold days, while the summers are mild to warm, with occasional hot temperatures. Temperature rises above 30 °C on average 4 days each summer, while (night) temperatures can drop below −5 °C during winter for short periods of time, mostly during periods of sustained easterly (continental) winds. Precipitation

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864-552: A vocational university that teaches music, dance and circus. Unique to the city is the Shipping & Transport College which offers masters, bachelors and vocational diplomas on all levels. Once primarily a city of labour, for its harbour and related industries, Rotterdam has now developed into a city of culture too, with various museums, cultural centres and activities, offering a stage for architecture , music, visuals arts, poetry, cinema, theatre, and culture more generally, with

936-617: Is a more upscale shopping street, with retailers like Michael Kors , 7 For All Mankind , Calvin Klein , Hugo Boss , Tommy Hilfiger and the Dutch well-known men's clothier Oger . Another upscale shopping venue is a flagship store of department store De Bijenkorf . Located a little more to the east is the Markthal , with lots of small retailers inside. This hall is also one of Rotterdam's famous architectural landmarks. The main shopping venue in

1008-676: Is also a member of several university federations, including the Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research ( CESAER ) and UNITECH. UPC is also a parent institution of the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (IBEI). The university was founded in March 1971 as the Universitat Politècnica de Barcelona through the merger of engineering and architecture schools founded in

1080-442: Is also home to the regional headquarters of chemical company LyondellBasell , commodities trading company Glencore , pharmaceutical company Pfizer , logistics companies Stolt-Nielsen , electrical equipment company ABB and consumer goods company Procter & Gamble . Furthermore, Rotterdam has the Dutch headquarters of Allianz , Maersk , Petrobras , Samskip , Louis Dreyfus Group , and Aon . The City of Rotterdam makes use of

1152-449: Is generally moderate throughout the year, although spring and summer (particularly before August) are relatively drier and sunnier, while autumn and winter are cloudier with more frequent rain (or snow). The following climate data is from the airport, which is slightly cooler than the city, being surrounded by water canals which make the climate milder and with a higher relative humidity . The city has an urban heat island , especially inside

1224-558: Is home to over 180 different nationalities. Rotterdam is known for its university , riverside setting, lively cultural life, maritime heritage and modern architecture . The near-complete destruction of the city centre during the World War II German bombing has resulted in a varied architectural landscape, including skyscrapers designed by architects such as Rem Koolhaas , Piet Blom and Ben van Berkel . The Rhine , Meuse and Scheldt give waterway access into

1296-571: Is one of Europe's technical universities with the most international PhD students and the university with the largest share of international master's degree students. UPC is a university aiming at achieving the highest degree of engineering/technical excellence and has bilateral agreements with several top-ranked European universities. UPC is a member of the Top Industrial Managers for Europe network, which allows for student exchanges between leading European engineering schools. It

1368-598: Is one of the top public universities in Barcelona, Spain. It is ranked #354 in QS World University Rankings 2024.UPC is consistently ranked as one of the leading European universities in the technology and engineering fields. U.S. News & World Report , for instance, ranks it as the world's 36th for Computer Science and 60th for Engineering. The QS World University Rankings also place the UPC among

1440-550: Is part of the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area which, as of 2015, covers an area of 1,130 km , of which 990 km km is land, and has a population of approximately 2,563,197. As of 2019, the municipality itself occupies an area of 325.79 km , 208.80 km of which is land, and is home to 638,751 inhabitants. Its population peaked at 731,564 in 1965, but the dual processes of suburbanization and counterurbanization saw this number steadily decline over

1512-635: The Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam (AFFR). Polytechnic University of Catalonia The Technical University of Catalonia ( Catalan : Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya , pronounced [uniβəɾsiˈtat puliˈtɛŋnikə ðə kətəˈluɲə] , Spanish: Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña ; UPC ), currently referred to as BarcelonaTech , is the largest polytechnic university in Catalonia , Spain. UPC's objectives are based on internationalization , as it

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1584-673: The Lijnbaan was opened, the first car-free shopping street in Europe. The progressive design attracted a lot of international attention, in which film and television played an important role. The new Central Station was completed in 1957, with the Groothandelsgebouw from 1953 next to it. The Euromast was erected in 1960 on the occasion of the Floriade . From the 1980s onwards the city councils began developing an active architectural policy. The harbours were moving westwards and

1656-631: The Randstad , which is one of the most important economic and densely populated areas in the north-west of Europe. Having a population of 7.1 million, the Randstad is the sixth-largest urban area in Europe (after Moscow, London, Paris, Istanbul, and the Rhein-Ruhr Area). The Zuidvleugel, situated in the province of South Holland , has a population of around 3 million. Rotterdam experiences

1728-517: The Rotte . In 1340, Rotterdam was granted city rights by William IV, Count of Holland . The Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area , with a population of approximately 2.7 million, is the 10th-largest in the European Union and the most populous in the country. A major logistic and economic centre, Rotterdam is Europe's largest seaport . In 2022, Rotterdam had a population of 655,468 and

1800-710: The Willemsbrug ('Willems Bridge') together with the Koninginnebrug ('Queen's Bridge'); and the Van Brienenoordbrug ('Van Brienenoord Bridge'). The former railway lift bridge De Hef ('the Lift') is preserved as a Rijksmonument (national heritage site) in lifted position between the Noordereiland ('North Island') and the south of Rotterdam. The city centre is located on the northern bank of

1872-441: The 1960s until the 2000s, Rotterdam had a thriving squatters movement , which not only accommodated thousands of people, but also created social centres and cultural venues. From this movement came clubs like Boogjes, Eksit, Nighttown, Vlerk and Waterfront. A major reference is Poortgebouw , which was squatted in 1980 and quickly legalised. Rotterdam also became the home of Gabber , a type of hardcore electronic music popular in

1944-517: The 19th century. As of 2007 it has 25 schools in Catalonia located in the cities of Barcelona , Castelldefels , Manresa , Sant Cugat del Vallès , Terrassa , Igualada , Vilanova i la Geltrú and Mataró . As of the academic year 2017–18, the UPC has over 30,000 students and over 3,000 teaching and research staff, 65 undergraduate programs, 73 graduate programs and 49 doctorate programs. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC)

2016-517: The 2009 rankings of Masters of Management, the school reached first place with the CEMS Master in Management and the tenth place with its RSM Master in Management. The university is also home to Europe's largest student association, STAR Study Association Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the world's largest student association, AIESEC , has its international office in

2088-599: The British coordinated espionage in Germany and occupied Belgium. During World War I, an average of 25,000 Belgian refugees lived in the city, as well as hundreds of German deserters and escaped Allied prisoners of war. During World War II , the German army invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940. Adolf Hitler had hoped to conquer the country in just one day, but his forces met unexpectedly fierce resistance. The Dutch army

2160-791: The European continent and overseas. From Rotterdam, goods are transported by ship, river barge, train or road. In 2007, the Betuweroute , a new fast freight railway from Rotterdam to Germany , was completed. Well-known streets in Rotterdam are the Lijnbaan (the first set of pedestrian streets of the country, opened in 1953), the Hoogstraat, the Coolsingel with the city hall, which was renovated between 2018 and 2021 giving cyclists and pedestrians more space, meaning that car traffic

2232-587: The Jews who were deported via Loods 24 were murdered in Sobibór and Auschwitz-Birkenau . Research in 2000 showed that 144 people survived the deportations. In 2013 the Jewish Children's Monument  [ nl ] was unveiled. In January 1948, Queen Wilhelmina presented the motto 'Sterker door strijd' (Stronger through effort) as part of the coat of arms of Rotterdam to the city government: ...as

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2304-658: The Nieuwe Maas, although recent urban development has extended the centre to parts of southern Rotterdam known as Kop van Zuid ('the Head of South', i.e. the northern part of southern Rotterdam). From its inland core, Rotterdam reaches the North Sea by a swathe of predominantly harbour area. Built mostly behind dikes, large parts of Rotterdam are below sea level. For instance, the Prins Alexander Polder in

2376-692: The River Rotte ' ) is the second-largest city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam . It is in the province of South Holland , part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta , via the "New Meuse" inland shipping channel, dug to connect to the Meuse at first and now to the Rhine . Rotterdam's history goes back to 1270, when a dam was constructed in

2448-528: The West-Kruiskade, close to Rotterdam Centraal. Religions in Rotterdam (2013) Christianity is the largest religion in Rotterdam, with 36.3% of the population identifying. The second and third largest religions are Islam (13.1%) and Hinduism (3.3%), while about half of the population has no religious affiliation . Since 1795 Rotterdam has hosted the chief congregation of the liberal Protestant brotherhood of Remonstrants . From 1955 it has been

2520-498: The cargo included flammable gas, flammable liquids, and a poison, three tugboats and two specialised cranes on floating platforms were assembled to attempt recovery and precise identification of the cargo. Cargo recovery began on the afternoon of 9 December, with drums of ortho-cresol and formaldehyde, but the weather became stormy again, stopping the work and causing more drums containing sodium to break and catch fire, some of them after being washed overboard. No evacuation of residents of

2592-670: The cheap labour segment. The city's unemployment rate is 12%, almost twice the national average. Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe , with the rivers Maas and Rhine providing excellent access to the hinterland upstream reaching to Basel, Switzerland and into France. In 2004 Shanghai took over as the world's busiest container port . In 2006, Rotterdam was the world's seventh largest container port in terms of twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) handled. The port's main activities are petrochemical industries and general cargo handling and transshipment . The harbour functions as an important transit point for bulk materials between

2664-426: The city centre. Rotterdam is diverse, with the demographics differing by neighbourhood. The city centre has a disproportionately high number of single people when compared to other cities, with 70% of the population between the ages of 20 and 40 identifying as single. Those with higher education and higher income live disproportionately in the city centre, as do foreign-born citizens. The municipality of Rotterdam

2736-403: The city's music history is the legendary Kralingen Pop Festival , which took place in Rotterdam in 1970 (featuring, among other, Pink Floyd , Jefferson Airplane , The Byrds , Canned Heat , It's a Beautiful Day , and Santana ). The festival was also made into a film, Stamping Ground (dir. George Sluizer). Alternative (music) culture became prominently present in the city in these days. From

2808-680: The city's past. Other museums include the Tax & Customs Museum , the Netherlands Marine Corps Museum , Rotterdam Public Transport Museum and the Natural History Museum . In 2025 'Fenix, Museum for Migration' will be opened. The first municipal library of Rotterdam was founded in 1604. The current Bibliotheek Rotterdam (Public library), was established in 1869, and is currently the largest cultural organization in Rotterdam, with fifteen branches across

2880-443: The city. The Rotterdam City Archives ( Stadsarchief Rotterdam ) was established in 1857. Here one can find administrative records and sources about the city's historical development. The archival holdings include, among other, general archives, notarial deeds, an audiovisual collection, and a library. Rotterdam has a long tradition of popular music, including the city's Jazz scene before and after WWII. A major historical moment in

2952-740: The city. The Willem de Kooning Academy is Rotterdam's main art school, which is part of the Hogeschool Rotterdam. It is regarded as one of the most prestigious art schools in the Netherlands and the number 1 in Advertising and Copywriting. Part of the Willem de Kooning Academy is the Piet Zwart Institute for postgraduate studies and research in Fine Art, Media Design and Retail Design. The Piet Zwart Institute boasts

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3024-486: The coastal area was initially ordered, but hundreds left, especially after the weather worsened, and after further explosions in the hold beginning on 10 December caused a toxic cloud, thousands fled and school buses were provided as transportation. Ultimately 15,000 or 20,000 people evacuated. The cargo included approximately 5,000 barrels, other containers, and bags containing flammable substances ( xylene , butanol , butyl acrylate , cyclohexanone , and sodium —contact of

3096-697: The construction of Rotterdam's second underground line interfered with the Rotte's course, its waters have been pumped through a pipe into the Nieuwe Maas via the Boerengat. Between the summers of 2003 and 2008, an artificial beach was created at the Boompjeskade along the Nieuwe Maas, between the Erasmus Bridge and the Willems Bridge. Swimming was not possible, digging pits was limited to

3168-631: The deep tank where the aniline was stored. There were three injuries and one case of mild aniline poisoning among the salvage workers. A large portion of the cargo was not recovered; what was, was taken to the Alúmina-Aluminio plant in San Cibrao , causing alarm among the workers. It was the worst sea disaster in the region since the Norwegian tanker MV  Polycommander ran aground near Vigo in 1970, also killing 23 crew members, and

3240-459: The heart of Western Europe, including the highly industrialized Ruhr . The extensive distribution system including rail, roads, and waterways have earned Rotterdam the nicknames "Gateway to Europe" and "Gateway to the World". The settlement at the lower end of the fen stream Rotte (or Rotta , as it was then known, from rot , "muddy" and a , "water", thus "muddy water") dates from at least

3312-629: The height of the layer of sand , about 50 cm (20 in). Alternatively, people go to the beach of Hook of Holland (which is a Rotterdam district) or one of the beaches in Zeeland : Renesse or the Zuid Hollandse Eilanden: Ouddorp , Oostvoorne . Rotterdam forms the centre of the Rijnmond conurbation, bordering the conurbation surrounding The Hague to the north-west. The two conurbations are close enough to be

3384-643: The invasion three days earlier. The City Hall survived the bombing. Ossip Zadkine later attempted to capture the event with his statue De Verwoeste Stad ('The Destroyed City'). The statue stands near the Leuvehaven, not far from the Erasmusbrug in the centre of the city, on the north shore of the river Nieuwe Maas. In 1941, 11,000 Jews still lived in Rotterdam. Before the war there were 13,000. Between 30 July 1942, and 22 April 1943, 6,790 people were deported in 8 transports via Loods 24. The vast majority of

3456-618: The last 50 years of architecture in a blender, and spat it out in building-sized chunks across the skyline, you would probably end up with something that looked a bit like Rotterdam". Rotterdam is divided into a northern and a southern part by the river Nieuwe Maas, connected by (from west to east): the Beneluxtunnel; the Maastunnel ; the Erasmusbrug ; a subway tunnel; the Willemsspoortunnel ('Willems railway tunnel');

3528-518: The main centres of the shipping industry in the Netherlands. From the Rotterdam Chamber of the VOC , the world's first multinational, established in 1602, to the merchant shipping leader Royal Nedlloyd established in 1970, with its corporate headquarters located in the landmark building the 'Willemswerf' in 1988. In 1997, Nedlloyd merged with the British shipping industry leader P&O forming

3600-443: The mid-1990s, with hard beats and samples. Groups like Neophyte and Rotterdam Terror Corps (RTC) started in Rotterdam, playing at clubs like Parkzicht. In the years 2005–2011, the city struggled with keeping venues for pop music; many of them suffered severe financial problems. This resulted in the disappearance of the major music venues Nighttown and WATT and smaller stages such as Waterfront, Exit, and Heidegger. The city today has

3672-667: The next 2 decades, reaching 560,000 by 1985. Although Rotterdam has experienced population growth since then, it has done so at a slower pace than comparable cities in the Netherlands, like Amsterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. Rotterdam consists of 14 submunicipalities: Centrum , Charlois (including Heijplaat), Delfshaven , Feijenoord , Hillegersberg-Schiebroek , Hook of Holland , Hoogvliet , IJsselmonde , Kralingen-Crooswijk , Noord , Overschie , Pernis , and Prins Alexander (the most populous submunicipality with around 85,000 inhabitants). One other area, Rozenburg , does have an official submunicipality status since 18 March 2010. Since

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3744-414: The northeast of Rotterdam extends 6 m (20 ft) below sea level, or rather below Normaal Amsterdams Peil (NAP) or 'Amsterdam Ordnance Datum'. The lowest point in the Netherlands (6.76 m (22.2 ft) below NAP) is situated just to the east of Rotterdam, in the municipality of Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel . The Rotte river no longer joins the Nieuwe Maas directly. Since the early 1980s, when

3816-429: The old environment had to be reshaped. Daring and new styles of apartments , office buildings and recreation facilities resulted in a more ' livable ' city centre with a new skyline. In the 1990s, the Kop van Zuid was built on the south bank of the river as a new business centre. Rotterdam was voted 2015 European City of the Year by the Academy of Urbanism. A profile of Rem Koolhaas in The Guardian begins "If you put

3888-470: The pioneers of the Dutch slave trade ". From the 17th century until 1814, when the United Netherlands abolished the Netherland's involvement in the slave trade at the request of the British government , Dutch slave ships from Rotterdam sailed to Africa and the Americas as part of the triangular trade . Rotterdam merchants also sold significant quantities of gunpowder to Zeeland -based slave ships. The port of Rotterdam grew slowly but steadily into

3960-406: The post-war era, such as Steady! (Van der Horst, 1952), and all kinds of fiction films. Of major importance within this context has also been the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), an annual event that lasts more than ten days (end of January, beginning of February), which has been organized since 1972. Besides the IFFR, several smaller film festivals take place in Rotterdam too, such as

4032-573: The remainder died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Survivors said that the lifeboat mechanism failed to work, as a result of which many crew members jumped into the water wearing lifejackets. The initial explosion was said to have been caused by the cargo shifting in heavy seas. The Finisterre Red Cross launch and helicopters from the local air rescue service, the Spanish Navy, and Madrid were all involved in recovering bodies and searching for survivors. In addition British, Italian, and Danish ships rescued some survivors. One crew member who remained missing until

4104-415: The search was suspended at nightfall was found dead the next day. The weather remained stormy, complicating efforts to tow the ship; in the evening it ran aground on Punta do Rostro, an offshore shoal. The bottom of the ship was holed such that it was not feasible to refloat it. Because of the presumed risk of further explosion, tugboats and cranes were then ordered to remain clear. After it was determined that

4176-475: The seat of the Catholic bishop of Rotterdam when the Rotterdam diocese was split from the Haarlem diocese . Since 2010 the city is home to the largest mosque in the Netherlands, the Essalam Mosque  [ nl ] (capacity 1,500). The municipal council consists of 45 members, the largest party is Livable Rotterdam . The municipal executive consists of mayor Carola Schouten and nine elderman, belonging to four parties. Rotterdam has always been one of

4248-429: The services of semi-government companies Roteb (to take care of sanitation , waste management and assorted services) and the Port of Rotterdam Authority (to maintain the Port of Rotterdam ). Both these companies were once municipal bodies; now they are autonomous entities, owned by the city. Being the largest port and one of the largest cities of the country, Rotterdam attracts many people seeking jobs, especially in

4320-432: The ship on fire. The captain broadcast an SOS about an hour later, and those crew not caught by the flames jumped into the sea to escape. All but eight died, including the captain and one woman. The ship grounded on rocks 150 metres (450 feet) offshore, still burning, and broke up. Initial reports were that the deaths were mainly from drowning and hypothermia; the local hospital later reported that one drowned but

4392-424: The sodium with water was the cause of the fire), toxins ( aniline oil, diphenylmethane di-isocyanate , o-cresol , and dibutyl phthalate ), and corrosives ( phosphoric acid and phthalic anhydride ). The flammable liquids comprised at least 2,000 barrels stored in four of the five hold compartments. The nature of the cargo was initially unclear, but the Spanish newspaper El País identified it as "several tons of

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4464-679: The south bank of the river. The Witte Huis or White House skyscraper, inspired by American office buildings and built in 1898 in the French Art Nouveau style , is evidence of Rotterdam's rapid growth and success. When completed, it was the tallest office building in Europe, with a height of 45 m (147.64 ft). During World War I , the city was the world's largest spy centre because of Dutch neutrality and its strategic location between Britain, Germany and German-occupied Belgium. Many spies who were arrested and executed in Britain were led by German secret agents operating from Rotterdam. MI6 had its main European office on de Boompjes. From there

4536-637: The south of Rotterdam is Zuidplein, which lies close to Rotterdam Ahoy , an accommodation centre for shows, exhibitions, sporting events, concerts and congresses. Another prominent shopping centre called Alexandrium lies in the east of Rotterdam. It includes a large kitchen and furniture centre. Rotterdam has one major university, the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), named after one of the city's famous former inhabitants, Desiderius Erasmus . The Woudestein campus houses (among others) Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University . In Financial Times ' 2005 rankings it placed 29th globally and 7th in Europe. In

4608-455: The status of a submunicipality was lifted on 19 March 2014, it became an integral part of the municipality of Rotterdam. The size of the municipality of Rotterdam is the result of the amalgamation of the following former municipalities, some of which were a submunicipality prior to 19 March 2014: In the Netherlands, Rotterdam has the highest percentage of residents with a recent migration background from non-industrialised nations. They form

4680-624: The third largest merchant shipping company in the world. The Anglo-Dutch P&O Nedlloyd was bought by the Danish giant corporation 'AP Moller Maersk ' in 2005 and its Dutch operations are still headquartered in the 'Willemswerf'. Nowadays, well-known companies with headquarters in Rotterdam are consumer goods company Unilever (since 2020 London), asset management firm Robeco , energy company Eneco , dredging company Van Oord , oil company Royal Dutch Shell (since 2021 London ), terminal operator Vopak , commodity trading company Vitol and architecture firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture . It

4752-419: The world in the field of medicine (clinical, pre-clinical & health, 2017). Three Hogescholen (Universities of applied sciences) exist in Rotterdam. These schools award their students a professional Bachelor's degree and postgraduate or Master's degree . The three Hogescholen are Hogeschool Rotterdam , Hogeschool Inholland and Codarts University for the Arts (Codarts hogeschool voor de kunsten),

4824-408: The world's 50 best universities in disciplines such as Architecture, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, Instruments Science and Technology and Remote Sensing. Affiliated Schools The UPC has a number of research centres. From 1991–2010, the Board of Trustees at the UPC organized and awarded an annual Science Fiction Award. Currently the award

4896-469: The year 950. Around 1150, large floods in the area ended development, leading to the construction of protective dikes and dams, including Schielands Hoge Zeedijk ("Schieland's High Sea Dike") along the northern banks of the present-day Nieuwe Maas river. A dam on the Rotte was built in the 1260s and was located at the present-day Hoogstraat ("High Street"). On 7 July 1340, Count Willem IV of Holland granted city rights to Rotterdam, which then had

4968-446: Was European Capital of Culture in 2001. Rotterdam has various cultural institutions. Well-known museums are the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen , Het Nieuwe Instituut , the Wereldmuseum , the Kunsthal , Kunstinstituut Melly and the Maritime Museum Rotterdam . The Historical Museum Rotterdam has changed into Museum Rotterdam , which aims to exhibit the development of Rotterdam as a contemporary transnational city, and not merely

5040-403: Was forced to capitulate on 15 May 1940, following the bombing of Rotterdam on 14 May and the threat of bombing other Dutch cities. The heart of Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed by the Luftwaffe . Some 80,000 civilians were made homeless and 900 were killed; a relatively low number since many had fled the city because of the warfare and bombing going on in Rotterdam since the start of

5112-424: Was reduced from 4 lanes (2 in each direction) to 2 lanes (1 in each direction). Another mainstreet is the Weena , which runs from the Central Station to the Hofplein (square). A modern shopping venue is the Beurstraverse ("Stock Exchange Traverse"), better known by its informal name ' Koopgoot ' ('Buying/Shopping Gutter', after its subterranean position), which crosses the Coolsingel below street level. The Kruiskade

5184-863: Was studied in 2014 by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia as one of the worst chemical disasters of the 20th century in Spain. The accident demonstrated the need for adequate packing of sodium when being shipped, and also the inadvisability of using trade names for chemicals, which led to confusion. An anchor from Cason has been preserved on the quay at Fisterra with a memorial plaque. 42°27′N 9°21′W  /  42.45°N 9.35°W  / 42.45; -9.35 Rotterdam Rotterdam ( / ˈ r ɒ t ər d æ m / ROT -ər-dam , UK also / ˌ r ɒ t ər ˈ d æ m / ROT -ər- DAM ; Dutch: [ˌrɔtərˈdɑm] ; lit.   ' The Dam on

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