Aerial of Rotterdam 1946 | photo Aviodrome

Lijnbaan | photo Jan Jesse (DiGitUP)

Coolsingel | photo Jan Jesse (DIGitUP)

RECONSTRUCTION IN ROTTERDAM‘Wederopbouw’, or Reconstruction, is the term used to descri-be the process of repairing the damage to our country after World War II. Rotterdam was one of the hardest hit cities in the Netherlands. The bombing of 14 May 1940 destroyed 24,000

homes, 2,400 shops and another 4,000 buildings, almost wiping out the entire city centre.

Parts of Kralingen and Noordereiland were also affected. More havoc was wreaked in the dockland areas later in the war years, and due to an oversight du-ring an Allied bombing raid on the western part of the city in 1943, a further 2,600 homes were destroyed.

RECONSTRUCTION PLANNo stone was left unturned in rebuilding the city. On May 18, 1940, city architect Witteveen was commissioned to draw up a reconstruction plan. Within ten days, he had drafted a rough outline. The bombing was of course disastrous, but at the same time it was an opportunity to reconstruct the city and solve a number of major urban issues. From the outset, the guiding principle was to completely redesign the centre rather than restore the original street grid and repair impor-tant buildings. The 144 buildings which could have been renovated were instead demolished; only the Sint-Laurenskerk church, Town Hall, the Post Office and the Schielandshuis were preserved.

Initially, little progress was made in implementing the plans and during the subsequent war years, construction all but ground to a halt. However, the rubble was cleared and used to fill in watercourses like Schiekade, Blaak and Schiedamse Vest.

At the end of the war Witteveen’s monumental, picturesque city plan was abandoned under the sway of Van Nelle director Kees van der Leeuw. The latter commissioned the construction of the world famous Van Nelle factory, a textbook example of the Modern Movement (Nieuwe Bouwen) and currently the principal industrial monument in the Netherlands. Witteveen’s assistant, Van Traa, signed the new Basic Plan. The new centre was radically redesigned and featured Coolsingel as the central boulevard.

One of the new urban planning concepts was the separation of functions, with offices, shops and other centre functions located in the city centre and housing in the outlying suburbs. The Basic Plan was primarily a road scheme and legal frame-work which provided room for different interpretations. A new road network meant more efficient traffic flow. New elements in the plan were shared business premises and avant-garde shopping centre De Lijnbaan, the first traffic free pedestrian boulevard in Europe. Many of these new structures included loading and unloading streets.

RECONSTRUCTION ARCHITECTURERotterdam architects Van den Broek & Bakema, Maaskant & Van Tijen, Kraaijvanger, Elffers and other agencies were tas-ked with the architectural design of the Basic Plan.

The contrast between traditionalist and modern architects gradually faded and new buildings in Rotterdam were de-signed in typical Reconstruction style, in which commercial, functional designs were combined with decorative elements. Important Reconstruction landmarks are the bank buildings along the Blaak, department stores Ter Meulen, C&A, Vroom & Dreesmann and De Bijenkorf, the Groothan-delsgebouw, Lijnbaan, Thalia cinema theatre, the Station Post Office and Rotterdam Central Station. This Recon-struction style is still evident in the typical architecture of espe-cially the Pannekoek-straat, Hoogstraat and Mariniersweg.

During the econo-mic boom in the late twentieth century much of the Reconstruction architecture was de-molished or came un-der threat. At the same time, this architectural style experienced a resurgence in interest and after 1999 a num-ber of Reconstruction buildings were granted protected status as a city monument.

ENTHUSIASMNot only was the Reconstruction an important economic and social phase for Rotterdam, with distinctive architecture and innovative urban development, it was also a time of optimism. Reconstruction in Rotterdam was welcomed by the public with great enthusiasm.

Reconstruction Day is celebrated on 18 May every year to commemorate the date Witteveen began his reconstruction plan in 1947. From 1946, annual Reconstruction tours were or-ganised to take interested parties along the various constructi-on projects by bus. Major exhibitions such as Rotterdam Straks (1947), De Maasstad in de Steiger (1949) and Ahoy (1950) were well attended.

De Doelen, the first cultural building to be built after the war, opened on 18 May 1966. It was considered the final piece in the Reconstruction of Rotterdam.

Fact sheet 75 years of post-war reconstruction in Rotterdam

14 May 1940 At around half past one in the afternoon, the German Luftwaffe starts bombing Rotterdam centre, Kralingen, Proveniers-wijk, Oude Noorden and Liskwartier. The Blitz destroys more than 30,000 buildings and kills 800-900 people. Rotterdam capitulates.

18 May 1940 On orders from the German army, the City Council commissions director Witteveen of the City Building Control Department to clear up the rubble and rebuild the city. The estimated damage is 420 million Dutch guilders (over three billion euros in today’s money). On 30 October it is declared that “Virtually all of the rubble has been cleared.”

31 March 1941 The first pile is driven into the ground for the Rotterdamsche Bank on Coolsingel, on the grounds of the partially destroyed Coolsingel Hospital. It is also the symbolic first pile for the Reconstruction of Rotter-dam after the bombing of May 1940.

14 February 1942 Without any further ceremony the Maas-tunnel, the first underground tunnel in the Netherlands and the longest in Euro-pe, is opened for all traffic. The escalators are ready and the first cars are registered on 1 April 1942.

28 May 1946 Cornelis van Traa’s Basic Plan for the Reconstruction of Rotterdam is adopted by the City Council.

September 1946 The City Council inaugurates the first governing board of the Rotterdamse Kunst-stichting, (Rotterdam Arts Council). The Council’s aim is to stimulate the artistic sec-tor in Rotterdam by organising activities, advising the government and encoura-ging artistic expression in order ‘to develop a healthy and vibrant art scene’.

1947 A temporary theatre is set up in the Aert van Nesstraat, in an almost desolate environment. Rotterdam’s major theatre, De Groot Schouwburg (architect Verheul, 1887), had been partially damaged and although it could have been rebuilt, it is completely razed in the demolition frenzy. In 1988 the temporary theatre is replaced by the ‘Kist van Quist’, a box-shaped buil-ding designed by Wim Quist.

17 November 1950 Following an ‘in-depth study of self-ser-vice systems in America’, the first Ameri-can-style supermarket is opened on the south side of the river.

June, August 1950 Rotterdam Ahoy! Manifestation. This port exhibition, organised to celebrate the restoration of the Rotterdam harbours, is a showcase for Dutch and Rotterdam ingenuity. The exhibition is held near the city centre.

1951 New residential neighbourhoods, such as northern Kleinpolder and Overschie ex-pansion plan, are developed by ‘idealistic urban planner’ Lotte Stam-Beese. These areas are designed to incorporate space, community gardens and playgrounds.

1951 Founding of the Argus artists’ group Members are painters Jan Burgerhout, Kees French, Jan Goedhart, Charles Kemper, Louis van Roode, Ed van Zanden and sculptor Huib Noorlander. The group existed until 1964.

15 May 1953 Unveiling of Ossip Zadkine’s sculpture, Verwoeste Stad, on Plein 1940. The sculp-ture was a gift from De Bijenkorf director Van der Wal.

3 July 1953 Opening of the Groothandelsgebouw, built to compensate for the loss of com-mercial premises during the war. Desig-ned by Van Tijen en Maaskant architects, it is an ‘American-style multifunctional, multi-tenant building’ with a surface area of 120,000 m2, making it the largest building in the Netherlands.

October 1953 Opening of the Lijnbaan, designed by Van den Broek and Bakema architects. Of particular interest is that the two intersec-ting streets are both traffic-free. It is the first pedestrian promenade in Europe.

1955 Hosting of Expo E55, the National Energy Manifestation, with Rotterdam as the ‘dri-ving force’ of reconstruction in post-war Netherlands.

1957 In 1957 Jaap and Arie Valkhoff open the Oasis bar, which existed until 1967. It is the venue of the levenslied, a characteris-tic genre of melancholic Dutch folk songs, sung by artists from around the country who come to Oasis to give spontaneous performances. Jaap Valkhoff became famous for his songs about Rotterdam, including the Feyenoord classic Hand in hand, kameraden.

Timeline: 75 milestones from 75 years of reconstruction

Rubble | photo Johan de Goederen (DiGitUP)

Reconstruction tours | photo City Archive Rotterdam

1950

1940

21 May 1957 Opening of the new Rotterdam Central Station. Architect: Sybold van Ravesteyn.

10 December 1958 The first pile for the Euromast is driven into the ground in anticipation of the Floriade Manifestation in 1960.

1959 Construction of the SS Rotterdam, one of the most famous post-war passenger ships. Sailing in the service of the Holland America Line, this ship was later renova-ted and opened to the public in 2010 at the Derde Katendrechtse Hoofd.

March - September 1960 The Floriade International Horticultural Exhibition Van kiem tot kracht (From seed to strength), is hosted on the grounds of E55 and attracts more than 3 million visitors.

1962 The first foreign workers arrive in Rotter-dam to work on rebuilding Rotterdam. A number of hotels for migrants are ope-ned in subsequent years.

18 May 1966 De Doelen, the first cultural building to be built after the war, was considered the final piece in the Reconstruction of Rotterdam. In retrospect, the term ‘Doelen effect’ is used to mark the cultural recon-struction that also started to take place.

9 February 1968 Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus open the first metro network in the Nether-lands, the Central Station-Zuidplein metro service. Construction of the metro line, designed to provide a faster connection between North and South Rotterdam, started in 1960.

1970s Poet, writer, jazz connoisseur, and musici-an Jules Deelder, one of the most famous artists in Rotterdam, is appointed Night Mayor of Rotterdam, reportedly by a bicycle repair man who always saw him venture out into the streets at night. He is the first night mayor of the Netherlands.

1970 Organisation of C70 manifestation. Where previous manifestations focused on rebuilding the port and industrial centre of Rotterdam, this time the event highligh-ted recreation and leisure activities. The city centre is showcased as an attractive place to live rather than exclusively as a working city.

1970 Feyenoord wins the European Cup and the World Cup.

1970 In 1970 the City Council announces a plan to fill in the Rotte river and build a motorway into the heart of the city.

June 1970 Hosting of the first Poetry International festival, which grows into a celebrated festival providing a stage for internatio-nal poets every year.

June 1970 Holland Pop Festival is staged in Kraling-se Bos in Woodstock style, with bands like Pink Floyd, Santana and The Byrds, and smoking of cannabis allowed at the festival. Culturally it is a great success, but financially it is fiasco, as tens of thousands of people manage to enter the festival grounds without a ticket.

June 1972 First International Film Festival, held in the Calypso theatre founded by Huub Bals (1937-1988). It became one of the most important film festivals, attracting 280,000 visitors in 2014.

1977 Foundation of Poetry Park, which later changed its name to Ortel Dunya Festival, a performing arts festival featuring world music, storytellers and poets. In 2013 Dunya merged with the Summer Car-nival, and the venue for this new event moved from The Park to the city centre.

1979 Rev. Hans Visser is inaugurated as pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church of Rotter-dam-Centrum district. His Paulus Church becomes a home for the disadvantaged, and in 1987 he opens Perron Nul shelter, which is closed again in 1994.

1979 Foundation by Cor Kraat, Hans Citroen and Willem van Drunen of artists’ group Kunst & Vaarwerk. Their group is the first to create installation art in public spaces, like the painted tank, the car in the

Unilever building, a viewing point on the Maas and the Doric columns.

1979 A group of Rotterdam designers launch Hard Werken, a magazine that focuses on art, culture, urban development, theatre and ‘political squabbling’.

1981 Opening of the new Willemsbrug bridge by Queen Beatrix and her son Prince Willem-Alexander, more than a century after the first Willemsbrug was opened.

May 1981Although there have been previous marathons, this year for the first time the Rotterdam Marathon runs through the city centre. The event is still staged annu-ally and draws thousands of marathon runners and 900,000 visitors.

1983 Opening of the new Municipal Library designed by Boot of Van den Broek and Bakema architects.

1983 Created by architect Piet Blom, Blaak-se Bos (Blaakse Forest, Cube Houses and Pencil Building) was designed to encourage social interaction between residents.

Summer 1984 Start of the Summer Carnival, which be-gan as an Antillean Summer Carnival or-ganised by Marlon Brown. Now dubbed Robin Rotterdam Unlimited, the event is just as popular as before, if not more. In 2014 the festival attracted 625,000 visitors, making it one of the largest outdoor day events in the Netherlands.

1987De Kop van Zuid zoning plan is draf-ted. In the course of time, modern port activities were undertaken ever further from the city and old harbours became deserted. The zoning plan provides for living, working and leisure activities.

1988Launch of the annual music festival Metropolis in Zuiderpark. Musical styles range from rock, metal, indie, world music, hip-hop, punk and electronic to experimental. Metropolis has hosted many bands before their big break.

De Doelen | photo Lex de Herder (City Archive Rotterdam)

Summer Carnival | photo Lex de Herder (City Archive Rotterdam)

Holland Pop Festival | photo Herbert Behrens (NFM)

1960

1970

1980

1990Celebration of Rotterdam’s 650th anni-versary. On 7 June 1340, Count Willem IV officially elevated the status of Rotterdam from town to city.

1990Opzoomeren, an initiative aimed at improving the position of people with a social disadvantage, is launched by local authorities and organisations, but also the target groups themselves, which is a new concept. Streets in impoverished areas are improved and spruced up to prevent further deterioration.

1992Opening of De Kunsthal exhibition venue, designed by Rotterdam architect Rem Koolhaas of the internationally acclai-med OMA office.

1993Gabberhouse outgrows Parkzicht, the cradle of this musical genre with its own record labels like Rotterdam Records and formations as Euromasters. A Rotterdam variation on the original American house music, Gabberhouse is loud and fast and gives rise to a subculture of youths sporting shaved heads and tracksuits. Gabberhouse parties move to larger venues.

1993The Netherlands Architecture Institute is established in Rotterdam, and is tasked with supporting and managing Dutch ar-chitectural history. In 2013 it is incorpora-ted into The New Institute, an arts institute focused on contemporary architecture and design.

13 March 1996Inauguration of the Koopgoot lower-level shopping street; fashion warehouse C&A is the first establishment to open its doors. The official name of this shopping street is Beurstraverse.

4 September 1996Queen Beatrix opens the Erasmus Bridge, an iconic bridge for the city and a new connection between the centre and the south of Rotterdam. Designed by archi-tect Ben van Berkel.

1996Founding of the Gergiev Festival. This classical music event was initiated by Valery Gergiev, who until 2008 was principal conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

1999Wednesday Night Skate is initiated by Hans Velthuizen of Rotterdam skate shop RSI. Up till last year, this event has drawn an increasing number of participants, sometimes up to 20,000.

2001The European Union declares Rotterdam as Cultural Capital of Europe, a title the city applied for in 1994. Motel Mozaïque arts festival, which originated in collabo-ration with TENT, Rotterdam Schouwburg theatre and Nighttown on the occasion of the Cultural Capital, is established. Every year the festival programme features mu-sic, theatre, performances and visual art in venues throughout the city centre.

2001Opening of the Nieuwe Luxor Theatre in Rotterdam-Zuid on the Wilhelmina Pier, designed by architects Bolles+Wilson.

2002The start of Rotterdam Museum Night, an event in which various cultural instituti-ons open their doors to the public, attrac-ting no less than 160,000 visitors.

2002Sjaak and Clara Sies set up the Food Bank in Rotterdam. It is the first in the Netherlands.

2003Closure of dance club Now & Wow in the Maassilo. Speedfreax, LOLITA and FLIRT were some of the famous parties hosted here.

31 May 2006Cees Helder, owner of Restaurant Park Hill, is appointed Knight in the Order of Oranje-Nassau.

2006North Sea Jazz Festival relocates from The Hague to Rotterdam, where it is staged each year in Ahoy.

5 April 2007Rotterdam is declared City of Architectu-re 2007, and the plans for Maasvlakte 2, a large land reclamation project in the North Sea, are approved in this year.

15 May 2007The boundary of the area devastated during the bombing of 1940, the brand-grens, is visualised by 128 spotlights projecting the demarcation line over Rot-terdam in the night sky. In 2010 a perma-nent demarcation line was introduced in the form of illuminated pavement tiles.

September 2007Hosting of the 30th World Port Days, an annual maritime event that showcases the history and future of the port of Rotter-dam. Rotterdam still is the biggest port of Europe.

2010The prologue and first stage of the Tour de France starts in Rotterdam. In 2015, the Tour will again ride through Rotterdam.

2010Opening of film theatre/jazz venue Lan-tarenVenster in the building New Orleans in Rotterdam-Zuid on the Wilhelmina Pier, designed by architect Álvaro Siza.

8 February 2012The pedestrian and cyclist bridge bet-ween Katendrecht and Wilhelminapier is opened.

13 March 2014Opening of the new, iconic Rotterdam Central Station. Architects: Benthem Crouwel Architects, MVSA Meyer & Van Schooten Architects, and West 8.

13 March 2014Opening of Markthal, designed by MVRDV Architects.

2014The Van Nelle factory is placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

2014Hosting of the first edition of Rotterdam Pride, a collaboration of the City of Rotter-dam, Rotterdam Festivals and gay & and hospitality organisations in Rotterdam.

Autumn of 2015 to June 2016‘Rotterdam Celebrates the City’ will be staged to celebrate 75 years of Recon-struction.

www.rotterdamcelebratesthecity.com

1990 2000

2010

Rotterdam Central Station | photo Luke Harley

Brandgrens | photo Bas Czerwinski