Rotterdam located in the province of South Holland, is the second largest municipality in the Netherlands. The city has the largest port in Europe and was until recently the world's busiest port; it is found on the banks of the river the Nieuwe Maas, one of the streams in the delta formed by the Rhine and Meuse rivers. The name "Rotterdam" is derived from a dam in a small river, the Rotte, which joins the Nieuwe Maas at the heart of the city.
History:
Rotterdam was founded in the mid 13th century after a dam had been constructed in the River Rotte on the site of the present Hoogstraat. Rotterdam received municipal rights in 1340.
Over the centuries Rotterdam grew from a fishing village into an international centre of trade, transport, industry and distribution. At the begi
nning of the Second World War, on 14 May 1940, virtually the entire city centre was devastated by a German bombardment. This explains why scarcely any pre-war buildings have remained in this part of Rotterdam. After the war, reconstruction of what had been destroyed was given the highest priority. Now, many years later, a new, modern city centre has risen from the ashes. The avant-garde architecture is famous at home and abroad.
Located on the mighty Maas River, Rotterdam is the largest port in the world. Being the ''Gateway to Europe'' Rotterdam has a hinterland of 500 million inhabitants. Its international orientation as a port and the regeneration of its city centre have made Rotterdam a business city without parallel.
Education:
Rotterdam has one major university, the Erasmus University Rotterdam, named after one of the city's famous former inhabitants, Desiderius Erasmus. Many of the departments are world renowned. The Rotterdam School of Management is a top ranked MBA school. In Financial Times' 2005 rankings it placed 29th globally and 7th in Europe. The School of Economics is ranked 4th globally. Another department, Erasmus MC (Medical School), holds the 3rd worldwide ranking in medical research, behind the American institutions Harvard and Johns Hopkins.
There are also three Hogescholen in Rotterdam. These schools award their students a Bachelor's degree. The three Hogescholen are Hogeschool Rotterdam, Hogeschool INHOLLAND and Hogeschool voor Muziek en Dans.
Students in higher education comprise around 20% of the Rotterdam's population.
Museums:
Rotterdam has many museums. Well known museums are:
- the Boijmans-van Beuningen Museum,
- the Historisch Museum,
- the Volkenkundig Museum (foreign peoples and cultures),
- the KunstHal (arthall),
- the Maritiem Museum,
- the Brandweermuseum (Fire brigade museum).
Culture:
Rotterdam was one of the European Culture Capitals of 2001. The city has its own orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra with its world famous musical director Valery Gergiev, a large congress and concert building De Doelen, plus many theatres (among which the new Luxor theatre) and movie theatres. The spacious Ahoy-complex in the south of the city is being used for pop concerts, exhibitions, tennis tournaments and other such activities. A major Zoo called "Blijdorp" is situated at the North side of Rotterdam, complete with a walkthrough sea aquarium called "Oceanium".
The city is home to the Rotterdam Academy of Fine Arts.
Rotterdam is currently going through somewhat of a renaissance, with some urban renewal projects featuring ambitious architecture, an increasingly sparkling nightlife, and a host of summer festivals celebrating the city's multicultural population and identity, such as the Caribbean-inspired 'Summer Carnival', the Dance Parade, Rotterdam 666, the Metropolis popfestival and the World Port days. With the International Filmfestival in january, Poetry International Festival in June, the Valery Gergiev Festival in September they make Rotterdam a real event city.
The self-image of the city is that of a no-nonsense workers' city. In that sense, there is a healthy competition with Amsterdam, which is often viewed as the 'cultural' capital of the Netherlands.
Rotterdam has had a rich hiphop scene since the early 1980s. It is also the home of Gabber, a type of music popular in the mid-1990s, with hard beats and samples. Bands like Neophyte and Rotterdam Terror Corps (RTC) started all in Rotterdam.
Airport:
Albeit much smaller than the major Dutch hub Schiphol airport, Rotterdam has the second largest airport of the country, Rotterdam Airport (formerly known as Zestienhoven), which is located north of the city. The airport has shown a very strong growth over the past 5 years, this is mostly caused by the growth of low-cost carrier market. It is unknown whether the growth can continue in the future because of the environmental regulations
Metro:
Rotterdam has the first Dutch metro since 1968, there are two local subway lines:
1. Erasmus Line: Rotterdam Central station - Albrandswaard (Rhoon, Poortugaal) - Hoogvliet - Spijkenisse
2. Caland Line: two lines from the northeast of Rotterdam (Ommoord and since September 2005 to the new constructed neighbourhood Nesselande (before it ended at Zevenkamp which is one stop before Nesselande), both in Prins Alexander) and one from Capelle aan den IJssel join; the combined line terminated in the west of Rotterdam, but on November 4, 2002, an extension was opened: the line now connects to the main railway network at Schiedam railway station, has a stop in Pernis and joins the Erasmus Line in Hoogvliet; trains on the Caland Line, like those on the Erasmus Line, terminate in Spijkenisse.
The eastern parts of the Caland Line have some level crossings (with priority), and could therefore be called light rail instead of metro; however, they are integrated in the system; these parts have overhead wires, while the rest has a third rail, the vehicles can handle both.
Famous People :
Famous Rotterdammers
Leo Beenhakker
Thea Beckman
Pascal Bosschaart
Mart Bras
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Willem Pieterszoon Buytewech
Ferry Corsten
Jules Deelder
Julian "Bean" Delphiki (literary character)
Edsger Dijkstra
Andre van Duijn
Desiderius Erasmus
Pim Fortuyn
Ida Gerhardt
Jacobus van't Hoff
Marianne Heemskerk
Betty Heukels
Bep van Klaveren
Rem Koolhaas
Wim Jansen
Willem de Kooning
Kruimeltje (literary character)
Ruud Lubbers
Paul de Leeuw
Rie Mastenbroek
Robin van Persie
Nida Senff
Hendrik Martenszoon Sorgh
Ron Steens
Marten Toonder
Renate Verbaan
Berry Westra
Bob den Uyl
Faas Wilkes This article is licensed under the [GNU Free Documentation License]. It uses material from Wikipedia
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Rotterdam located in the province of South Holland, is the second largest municipality in the Netherlands. The city has the largest port in Europe and was until recently the world's busiest port; it is found on the banks of the river the Nieuwe Maas, one of the streams in the delta formed by the Rhine and Meuse rivers. The name "Rotterdam" is derived from a dam in a small river, the Rotte, which joins the Nieuwe Maas at the heart of the city.