1 Groot Handelsgebouw

H.A. Maaskant and W. van Tijen (1947-1953)

This national monument is a typical symbol of post-war reconstruction in the

early 1950s. The huge building, 220 by 84 meters in size, was and is the
biggest trade centre in the Netherlands. Distributed over three levels, 1.5km
in car ways run through the building. The rooftop pavilion once housed the
Kriterion cinema; the roof is now in use as a terrace by Grandcaf Engels.
2 Rotterdam Central Station
Team CS (2006-2014)

Rotterdam CS is undergoing a dramatic transformation that will last till

2013. Including a whole new station hall, with access to the international
high-speed rail line, the regional RandstadRail, the metro and an
underground bicycle park, the station district will be the international
gateway to Rotterdam. Team CS signed on for the design, consisting of
architecture firms Benthem Crouwel, Meyer & Van Schooten and West 8.
3 Nationale Nederlanden / Delftse Poort
Abe Bonnema (1986-1991)
The higher of the two reflective towers that dominate the Weena skyline, the
main office of Nationale Nederlanden insurance firm is 151 meters high,
making it the second-highest office building in the Netherlands. Its stability
is ensured in part by supporting buttresses. The metro tunnel runs below the
building, between the towers.
4 Concert and Congress Centre De
Doelen E.H. and H.M. Kraaijvanger with R.H. Fledderus (1955-1966) / Jan
Hoogstad (2000) / Kraaijvanger Urbis (2009)

De Doelen is named after the music centre that once stood on the site,
which was destroyed in the May 1940 bombardment. In 2000, new congress
and convention facilities were built on the roof and over the former inner
courtyard. Major renovations on the Great Hall were completed in summer
2009, based on a design by Kraaijvanger Urbis architectors.
5 Schouwburgplein
Adriaan Geuze (1992-1997)

Schouwburgplein, enclosed by De Doelen, the Rotterdamse Schouwburg

theatre and Path cinema, is a lively social hotspot surrounded by outdoor
cafs. This exceptional variation on the classic city square, on the roof of a
car park, is a lightweight metal construction incorporating wood, rubber and
concrete.
6 Rotterdamse Schouwburg
W.G. Quist (1982-1988)

The modern, square building has a near-symmetrical floor plan. Stately

staircases sweep from the entrance below the theatre tower and along the
main theatre to the foyer at the back. Deliveries to the theatre are sent up
on an ingenious freight lift. Recently the entrance interior has been fully
renovated.

7 De Lijnbaan Shopping Centre / Lijnbaanflats

J.H. van den Broek and J.B. Bakema (1953) / Housing: H.A. Maaskant, A.
Krijgsman, H.D. Bakker

The busiest shopping street in Rotterdam was Europes first car-free

shopping promenade. The concept of traffic-free pedestrian boulevards with
awnings to keep shoppers dry was adopted all over the world. Housing in
this shopping area is not above the shops, but behind them in high-rise flats
around green courtyards.
8 City Hall
Henri Evers (1912-1920)

On 15 July 1915, Queen Wilhelmina laid the first stone for City Hall on
Coolsingel. This historic building in neo-Renaissance style is symmetric in
structure, built around an inner court - yard with the main entrance in the
middle. The inner courtyard, in use as a small park, can be accessed via the
street that crosses through City Hall.
9 Post Rotterdam
G.C. Bremer (1915-1923) / Ben van Berkel UNStudio

The stately neo-classicist building, with an imposing 22.5-metre ceiling in

the central hall, is one of the few historic buildings that survived the 1940
bombardment. The former post office is getting new tenants; besides trendy
shops, cafs and restaurants, a luxurious designer hotel by Ben van Berkel
will occupy the top floor.
10 City Office
Rem Koolhaas OMA

For many years, the City Office housed the City Carpentry House, which
directed Rotterdams reconstruction. OMA won the contest issued by the City
of Rotterdam for a new city office with a design that features a cloud of
homes and offices that seem to float above the ground, creating a large
open space on the inside of the building.
11 Beurs / WTC
J.F. Staal (1925-1940) / R.B. van Erk & A.H. Verbeek (1986)

The 1928 stock exchange was the first building to be restored to its former
glory following the 1940 bombardment. The World Trade Center, a twentystory office building in the form of a flattened ellipse that was built on top of
the ex - change hall, was added in 1986. The WTC turned out to be the start
of a high-rise boom.
12 de Bijenkorf
M. Breuer, A. Elzas (1955-1957)

Originally from Hungary, architect Marcel Breuer from the famous Bauhaus
designed the Bijenkorf as an al - most fully closed box. The faade is clad in
hexagonal travertine panels that reference the department stores beehive
logo. The artwork by Naum Gabo on Coolsingel is an intrinsic part of the
design.

13 Beurstraverse
P. de Bruijn (1991-1996) / interior: J. Jerde

The sunken shopping passage, known locally as the shopping gutter,

crosses under Coolsingel. The traverse links two important shopping streets,
Lijnbaan and Hoogstraat, via the Beursplein underground metro station. The
arcades along the tiny shops that line the walls were designed by Jon Jerde,
the American guru of fun-shopping.
14 Laurenskerk
Named after St Laurence, the patron saint of Rotterdam, the Grote of
SintLaurenskerk was built between +/- 1449 and 1525. It is the only
remaining Late Gothic building from the original medieval town of
Rotterdam. The church was heavily damaged in the 1940 bombardment,
only reopening to visitors in 1968.
15 Markthal
MVRDV & INBO (2009-2014)

The covered Market Hall on Binnenrotte will house a permanent market.

Market stands, shops, catering and parking facilities will be built along the
street and in the 39-metre-high hall. The spectacular archway of 228 flats
and maisonettes that overlooks the stands is the only indoor market roof of
its kind in the world.
16 Rotterdam Library
J. Boot (Van den Broek en Bakema, 1983)

The biggest public library in the Netherlands is shaped like a cube with one
corner sliced off diagonally. Below the glass waterfall by the entrance,
escalators connect the six progressively smaller floors of the library. The
eye-catching yellow ventilation pipes on the outside are reminiscent of the
Centre Pompidou in Paris.
17 Cube Houses
P. Blom (1978-1984)

Architect Piet Blom was commissioned to build an unusual bridge over the
busy arterial road between Blaak and Oude Haven. Each of the cube houses
in the Blaakse Bos forest is three floors high, with the staircase in the
supporting pole. The Kijk-Kubus is a fully decorated museum house that
shows what its like to live between slanted walls.
18 Witte Huis
W. Molenbroek (1897-1898)

45 meters and eleven stories high, this office building was the first sky scraper in Europe. Rather than the steel construction considered modern at
the time, the architect used thick load-bearing walls made of brick. The
faade is clad in white-glazed brick decorated with mosaics and Art Nouveau
images.

19 De Brug
JHK Architecten (2000-2005)

Visible across the Maas River, the four-story headquarters of Unilever

Bestfoods Nederland resembles a transparent bridge. 133 meters long, it
floats 25 meters above the old Blue Band margarine factory complex. The
entire steel construction was assembled beside the location and then rolled
over to its final location.
20 Red Apple
Kees Christiaanse (20062009)

Playfully referencing NYCs Big Apple, the Red Apple residential tower gets its
name from the color and from the apple market that once stood here. The
high-profile, bright red lines on the faade of the 124-metre tower narrow
towards the top, emphasizing the sleek shape of the building.
21 Maritiem Museum
W.G. Quist (1981-1986)

The oldest maritime museum in the Netherlands dominates the cityscape

where the Coolsingel and West-Blaak boulevards intersect. The main shape
consists of a square block sliced diagonally in half, with the slanted side to
-wards Leuvehaven. The entrance hall was recently completely redone based
on a concept by interior architect Ramin Visch.
22 Schielandshuis
J. Lois with P. Post (1662-1665)

The Schielandshuis, built in Dutch classicist style with baroque details, is one
of the oldest buildings in Rotterdam. It was named after the Schieland
polder and dike board that occupied the building in 1665. The building was
ravaged by fire in 1864; although it was rebuilt soon after, it was not
restored to its original state. The Schielandshuis was fully refurbished
between 1981-1985 and now houses Rotterdam Museum.
23 ROTTERDAM.INFO
Your central source for Rotterdam information, offering information and tips
on what to see and do in Rotterdam, from attractions and nightlife to
architecture and lifestyle. The diverse brochures and thematic structure will
help you find your way around. Varying exhibitions and a large scale model
of the city keep you up-to-date on the latest developments. Various
excursions depart from Rotterdam.info.
24 Inntel Hotels Rotterdam Centre
Tuns + Horsting (1986) / MAS (2006)

The long, multi-tenant building completed in 1989 included a hotel and

swimming pool in a projecting structure above the entrance, a cinema and
an exhibition hall. MAS Architectuur, a continuation of Tuns + Horsting,
designed a 15-story expansion with hotel rooms and two conference halls.
Renovations started in 2010 with the aim of creating a luxurious 5-start
hotel with conference facilities.

25 Erasmus Bridge
Van Berkel & Bos (1990-1996)

808 meters long, this iconic feature of Rotterdam is the second bridge
spanning the Maas in the city centre, besides the Willemsbrug. The 139metre curved steel pylon quickly earned Erasmus Bridge its nickname: the
Swan. The car park, Spido tour boat office and restaurant on the north bank
were also designed by UN Studio.
26 De Rotterdam
Rem Koolhaas (2009-2013)

De Rotterdam, currently under construction, is a sustainable multifunctional

building. The three towers stand in close proximity, soaring nearly 150
meters high; their top half is slightly shifted compared to their bottom half.
The three linked towers are a vertical city of high-class flats, a 4-star hotel,
offices, shops, restaurants, fitness, parking and cultural functions.
27 ParklaanFlat
W. van Tijen (1931-1933)

This first residential high-rise in Rotterdam was realized by architect Van

Tijen, at his own risk. When it was built, the structure was experimental. The
steel skeleton guaranteed a flexible floor plan for the luxurious flats, each of
which covered an entire floor. Van Tijen himself lived in the penthouse for
some time, where a spacious roof terrace offers a view of the Maas.
28 Euromast
H.A. Maaskant (1958-1960)

The Euromast was designed for the Floriade flower show in 1960; its
concrete frame was built in only 23 days. At the time, the 104-metre tower
was the highest in the Netherlands. The narrow tower was added ten years
later. The Euroscoop lift takes you flying to the tip of the Euromast, at 185
meters.
29 Westelijk Handelsterrein
T.L. Kanters (1894) / renovations: H. Klunder, J. van der Weerd (2001)

The stately faades of the Scheepvaartkwartier conceal the Westelijk

Handelsterrein, a late 19th-century listed building consisting of 36
warehouses distributed over two levels. When the complex was rebuilt as a
public venue, many characteristic elements were preserved, like the heavy
wooden sliding doors, the beam ceilings and the cobblestones. The green
roofs have also been retained.
30 Kunsthal
Rem Koolhaas, F. Hoshino (1989-1992)

The Kunsthal, a large exhibition hall for temporary shows, is an artwork in

its own right. The building is constructed around a spiral system of sloped
floors; the entire auditorium slopes upwards. The different elements seem to
be stacked playfully, using various contrasting materials: expensive and
cheap, sophisticated and ordinary.

31 Natuurhistorisch Museum
J.F. Metzelaar (1850) / E. van Egeraat (1995)

On this former Hoboken estate, the Hoboken family lived in Villa Dijkzigt
from 1856 on. After thorough renovations, the natural history museum
moved in the neo-classicist national monument in 1987. In 1995, a modern
glass pavilion was added to the villa, housing an exhibition hall and library
based on a design by Erick van Egeraat.
32 Museumpark + car park
Rem Koolhaas, Yves Brunier (1988- 1993, 2011) / Paul de Ruiter (2005-2010)

The Museumpark is divided into four zones: a paved zone, a romantic zone
with trees and a pedestrian bridge, an asphalted city zone for events, and a
well-tended orchard. The car park designed by Paul de Ruiter uses split
levels and lots of glass for a light, spacious and transparent look. The water
reservoir prevents flooding in the city centre during heavy rainfall.
33 Erasmus MC
Medical Faculty: A. Hagoort, G. Martens, J. Prouv (1965-1968) / new building:
EGM Architecten (2009-2017)

The complex is dominated by the 117-metre laboratory building, which was

built in record time thanks to the use of drastic standardization and prefab
modules. Between 2005 and 2018, the complex around the by now outdated
Dijkzigt hospital will be transformed into an entirely new building complex,
the Erasmus Medical Centre, covering over 300,000 m2.
34 Netherlands Architecture Institute
Jo Coenen (1993, 2011)

The main functions of the NAI are housed in separate areas of the building.
Each area has its own architectural features and its own relationship to its
surroundings: the banana-shaped archives, the closed rectangular exhibition
hall, and a high middle section enclosed in glass, with offices, the library and
a central foyer. The NAI was reopened in July 2011 after major renovations.
35 Huis Sonneveld
J.A. Brinkman and L.C. van der Vlugt (1932-1933)

The Sonneveld house is one of the best-preserved examples of Dutch

modernist architecture. The characteristic emphasis on light, air and space,
made possible by using new materials and a steel skeleton, were expressed
in very spacious living areas with large ribbon windows and a roof terrace.
As part of the NAI, the Sonneveld house is a museum home open to the
public.

36 Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

A. van der Steur (1928-1935) / A. Bodon (1963-1972) / Daem & Robbrecht (20002003)

Inspired by Scandinavian architecture, the design has a traditional structure

and uses such materials as brick and copper ridge-beams. An exhibition hall
was added in 1972, supplemented in 1991 by a pavilion based on a design
by architect Henket. The museum added a further expansion on the garden
end in 2003, building a U-shaped wing around the exhibition hall.
37 Skatepark Westblaak
dS+V with J. Glissenaar, J. Hoorn (2000)

The skate park covers the entire central berm of Westblaak. Crossing points
divide the skate park into three zones: a circular course for skating on, a
zone with 11 stainless steel obstacles for stunt skating, and a green oasis for
taking breaks and relaxing. Art collective 75b designed the asphalt coating
so the colors would correspond to the placement of the obstacles.
38 Westersingel
W.N. Rose, J.D. Zocher (1859) / Maarten Struijs (2000)

In 1859, the Westersingel canal was installed as part of a water project to

improve water management and public hygiene in the old city. Part of the
area along the canal was redesigned in 2000, introducing the sculpture route
with works by major sculptors like Rodin, Carel Visser and Joel Shapiro.
39 De Unie
Carel Weeber, based on J.J.P. Oud (1925)

Caf and restaurant De Unie has an eye-catching faade using De Stijl

colors, incorporating texts and illuminated advertising in the composition.
The original building by J.J.P. Oud on Coolsingel was destroyed in the 1940
bombardment. In 1986, the faade was reconstructed by Carel Weeber at a
new, comparable location between 19th-century buildings.
40 De Calypso
Alsop Architects (2009-2012)

De Calypso is re-emerging where the Holiday Inn Hotel, the Pauluskerk and
the former Calypso cinema once stood. Seeming to be in constant
movement thanks to its design and sloping faade panels, the striking and
colorful building accommodates 407 flats, space for offices and shops and
500 parking spaces. The building will also house the new Pauluskerk.