Rotterdam
- Maximus Nostramabus
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 32 minutes ago
Port city, windmills, carnival and a live architecture experiment - Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout 818; Van Nellefabriek 1441; Craft of the miller operating windmills and watermills 01265; Rotterdam Summer Carnival 01870
What and Why
The port city of Rotterdam, is in every sense of the word, very un-European. When I landed in Rotterdam from my recent cruise at got into the city, my immediate response was 'Wow, what an expected sight!'. Unlike most European cities, even the financial centres where there would always be defined by a mediaeval or ancient core, this city distincts herself prominently through its modern skyline: the city is erected with all sorts of modern architectural structures which I would only expect from places of artificiality like Dubai (Arabic: دبي, Dubayy), Singapore (Malay: Singapura) or Shanghai (Chinese: 上海). In fact I could easily claim that the city is one of Europe’s most architecturally distinctive and innovative cities, with modernity intersecting seamlessly with maritime heritage. It turns out that the city was almost wiped out by a massive devastation of the Rotterdam Blitz (Dutch: Bombardement op Rotterdam), similar to the blogged Le Havre, during World War II. This destruction ironically enabled the city to reinvent itself as a laboratory of modern architecture and urban planning, with a full focus on innovation and experimentation.
Within this broader context, the city integrates history and heritage with novelty and innovation by the two WHS she houses: the windmills in Kinderdijk and Van Nelle Factory (Van Nelle Fabriek) along its spectrum. The former represents the icon of Netherlands (Nederland) and its century-old hydraulic technology, while the latter reflects industrial modernism with pioneering architectural audacity.
Toponymy
The name Rotterdam derives from the River Rotte where the city started, and the word 'dam' meaning exactly the same as in English. Rotte was previously called 'Rotta', where 'rotte' means 'muddy', while 'aa' means 'water' in Dutch. Hence technically 'Rotterdam' means 'muddy water dam'.
See
Kinderdijk windmills (Kinderdijkse molens)
It is common knowledge that Netherlands is iconised by its windmills. However to
Van Nelle Factory (Van Nelle Fabriek)
City Hall
Erasmusbrug
Museumpark
Station Rotterdam Blaak
Het Park
De Verwoeste Stad
Markthal
Nieuwerkerk
Experience, Buy and Do
Rotterdam Festival
Eat and Drink
Gouda Cheese
Stay
Travel Suggestions and Logistics
UNESCO Inscriptions
The outstanding contribution made by the people of the Netherlands to the technology of handling water is admirably demonstrated by the installations in the Kinderdijk-Elshout area. Construction of hydraulic works for the drainage of land for agriculture and settlement began in the Middle Ages and have continued uninterruptedly to the present day. The site illustrates all the typical features associated with this technology – dykes, reservoirs, pumping stations, administrative buildings and a series of beautifully preserved windmills.
Van Nellefabriek was designed and built in the 1920s on the banks of a canal in the Spaanse Polder industrial zone north-west of Rotterdam. The site is one of the icons of 20th-century industrial architecture, comprising a complex of factories, with façades consisting essentially of steel and glass, making large-scale use of the curtain wall principle. It was conceived as an ‘ideal factory’, open to the outside world, whose interior working spaces evolved according to need, and in which daylight was used to provide pleasant working conditions. It embodies the new kind of factory that became a symbol of the modernist and functionalist culture of the inter-war period and bears witness to the long commercial and industrial history of the Netherlands in the field of importation and processing of food products from tropical countries, and their industrial processing for marketing in Europe.
The craft of the miller operating windmills and watermills involves the knowledge and skills necessary to operate a mill and maintain it in a good state of repair. With a declining number of people earning their livelihood from the craft, millers today also play a key role in transmitting the cultural history of the practice. There are currently approximately forty professional millers; together with volunteers, they keep the miller’s craft alive. The Guild of Volunteer Millers has around 105 instructors in the field, and 11 Master Millers are now active in the Netherlands. Mills, and therefore the miller’s craft, play a significant social and cultural role in Dutch society and have an iconic value, contributing to a sense of identity and continuity. Various safeguarding activities are undertaken, including training, support and capacity building, educational activities in schools and traineeships. Traditionally, the miller’s craft was transmitted from master to apprentice but since the establishment of the Guild of Volunteer Millers in 1972, almost 2000 volunteers have obtained a miller’s qualification; anyone interested in the craft can apply for training. The Guild offers millers support in keeping their knowledge up-to-date, for example through excursions to mills, evening theory classes, conferences and meetings.
The Rotterdam Summer Carnival is a multicultural celebration that unites participants from the Caribbean and European Netherlands, as well as ethnic minority groups from Central and South America and Africa living in the Netherlands. The event includes a street parade, a brass band competition and a festival market featuring Caribbean food. The practice is transmitted informally through participation in the carnival and preparations. Carnival groups come together to prepare floats, music and decorations based on a specific theme. The preparations take place at the home of a group leader or in a community centre, and the music and dance styles chosen are closely connected to the countries of origin of the participants. The floats and costumes are constructed in a large, shared space, allowing the groups to exchange and transmit knowledge and skills related to welding, carpentry, design, and recycling materials. Several workshops, such as on how to become a carnival queen, organize a carnival group and raise funds for the event, also exist. The Rotterdam Summer Carnival is tied to people’s cultural roots and their emancipation, bolstering individuality, expression and self-worth. By uniting groups of different backgrounds, it also fosters acceptance of and respect for diverse cultural traditions, promoting dialogue and social cohesion.
References
Comments
Please share your thoughts and comments about the blog. If you need suggestions to build a travel itinerary, please let me know. More than willing to help. I would also like to build a bespoke-in-depth travel community around UNESCO WHS and ICH.
Comments