The most beautiful places in Netherlands

Rotterdam is special to me. There I had the unique feeling that I had already been to this place in a previous life and I was very happy. As I sat by the big port, staring at the beautiful ships, I was overcome by an inner happiness that I had not felt before. I asked a young man passing by to take a picture of me to capture this moment. He took the camera and held it in his hands for a long time. He was just standing there and not moving. I asked if everything was okay and he said: “Yes, I just like to watch you smile at me.” In less than an hour, I was truly in love with the city and its residents.

Rotterdam is beautifully nestled at the mouth of the North Sea and the delta of the Meuse and Rhine. The city was founded in 1270 when a dam was built on the Rothe River. Today it is the second largest city in the Netherlands, and one of the most densely populated places in the country. However, only 50% of its inhabitants are Dutch, the rest seem to be from every corner of the earth, turning the city into a true multicultural center.

Unlike other Dutch cities, the local architecture is quite modern. The reason for this is the heavy bombing during World War II, after which the city acquired a completely new modern architecture. I was personally very impressed by the house with the cubes, which is currently a hostel at very decent prices ( Stayokay ). It was designed by the architect Piet Blom and aims to optimize the space and create “life like a city roof”.

Another interesting hoof-shaped building is the Markthal (market hall), which is a large indoor food market with dozens of stalls, supermarkets, eateries, etc., as well as residential buildings and office spaces. This is undoubtedly one of the most visited places in the city, which opened its doors on October 1, 2014.

Rotterdam is the only city in the Netherlands that has skyscrapers, most of which are located along the Meuse River, which gives the city the nickname “Manhattan on the Meuse”. Currently, there are 352 high-rise buildings in Rotterdam, the tallest being Zalmhaven rising to 203 meters. It is also home to the tallest skyscraper in Europe in 1897 – Het Witte Huis, which today is not that impress with high (only 43 m and 10 floors), but it is still very enchanting with its beautiful towers in Art Deco style.

Rotterdam is probably best known for its port, which is the largest seaport in Europe and one of the busiest in the world. It stretches over a distance of 40 km, and is located in the middle of the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta, including the historic port in the city center. It handles almost twice as much cargo as the ports of Antwerp and Hamburg, and it’s the largest seaport outside of East Asia.

All this describes Rotterdam as a very dynamic and modern city, but it has still managed to preserve its green part with many parks and green spaces, wonderful for walking, cycling or relaxing. Probably one of the most popular green parks is Het Park Rotterdam in the very center, which has beautiful water facilities, numerous flowers and old trees.

In Rotterdam I felt reborn, the city of architecture had also been reborn, and it carried a kind of youthful energy that was felt by all residents and visitors. It’s easy to fall in love with its charm and future-oriented look!

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT ROTTERDAM:

Location: Rotterdam is located in the province of the South Netherlands in the southwest of the country, along the Meuse River, which is part of the Rhine River Delta.
Name of the city: The city arose during the construction of a dam on the Rotte River (Rotte + dam), however, in the 80s of the last century the river was diverted so that a metro could pass along its course.
Area: 324 sq.km
Population:  664 311 people (2023 data)
Official language: Dutch
Altitude: 0 m
Climate: temperate oceanic climate.
Time zone: UTC+1
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Additional information: https://en.rotterdam.info/