Rotterdam

Rotterdam presents a modern contrast
to much of the Netherlands

Rotterdam is only 30 minutes from The Hague and an hour from Amsterdam, but it's centuries away from them in both appearance and personality. Here, instead of the usual Dutch web of little alleyways and winding canals, there's a spacious, elegant shopping mall and the world's busiest ocean harbor, Europoort. Rotterdam is a fascinating place to travel to in the Netherlands, offering well preserved architectural remnants of Holland’s Golden Age and a number of fascinating museums and monuments in the historic areas or Delfshaven (Delft Harbor) and Oude Haven (Old Harbor).

 At the war's end, rather than try to recreate the old, Rotterdammers looked on their misfortune as an opportunity and approached their city as a clean slate. They relished the chance to create an efficient, workable modern city. The results are a testimony to their ability to find impressive solutions to problems.

© 2009, Wiley Publishing, Inc.