Fact sheet 75 years of post-war reconstruction in Rotterdam

Fact sheet 75 years of post-war reconstruction in Rotterdam

75 years of post-war
reconstruction in Rotterdam
Fact sheet
RECONSTRUCTION IN ROTTERDAM
RECONSTRUCTION ARCHITECTURE
‘Wederopbouw’, or Reconstruction, is the term used to describe 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.
Rotterdam architects Van den Broek & Bakema, Maaskant &
Van Tijen, Kraaijvanger, Elffers and other agencies were tasked with the architectural design of the Basic Plan.
Aerial of Rotterdam 1946 | photo Aviodrome
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 during an Allied bombing raid
on the western part of the
city in 1943, a further 2,600
homes were destroyed.
RECONSTRUCTION PLAN
No 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 important 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 framework 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.
The contrast between traditionalist and modern architects
gradually faded and new buildings in Rotterdam were designed 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 Groothandelsgebouw, Lijnbaan,
Thalia cinema theatre,
the Station Post Office
and Rotterdam Central
Station. This Reconstruction style is still
evident in the typical
architecture of especially the Pannekoekstraat, Hoogstraat and
Mariniersweg.
Coolsingel | photo Jan Jesse (DIGitUP)
During the economic boom in the late
twentieth century much
of the Reconstruction
architecture was demolished or came under threat. At the same
time, this architectural
style experienced a
resurgence in interest
and after 1999 a number of Reconstruction
buildings were granted
protected status as a
city monument.
Lijnbaan | photo Jan Jesse (DiGitUP)
ENTHUSIASM
Not 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 organised to take interested parties along the various construction 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.
Reconstruction tours | photo City Archive Rotterdam
75 milestones from
75 years of reconstruction
Timeline:
1940
14 May 1940
At around half past one in the afternoon,
the German Luftwaffe starts bombing
Rotterdam centre, Kralingen, Provenierswijk, Oude Noorden and Liskwartier. The
Blitz destroys more than 30,000 buildings
and kills 800-900 people. Rotterdam
capitulates.
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 Kunststichting, (Rotterdam Arts Council). The
Council’s aim is to stimulate the artistic sec18 May 1940
tor in Rotterdam by organising activities,
On orders from the German army, the City advising the government and encouraCouncil commissions director Witteveen
ging artistic expression in order ‘to develop
of the City Building Control Department
a healthy and vibrant art scene’.
to clear up the rubble and rebuild the
city. The estimated damage is 420 million 1947
Dutch guilders (over three billion euros
A temporary theatre is set up in the Aert
in today’s money). On 30 October it is
van Nesstraat, in an almost desolate
declared that “Virtually all of the rubble
environment. Rotterdam’s major theatre,
has been cleared.”
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 building designed by Wim Quist.
1950
17 November 1950
Rubble | photo Johan de Goederen (DiGitUP)
Following an ‘in-depth study of self-service systems in America’, the first American-style supermarket is opened on the
south side of the river.
31 March 1941
June, August 1950
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 Rotterdam after the bombing of May 1940.
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 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 sculpture was a gift from De Bijenkorf director
Van der Wal.
3 July 1953
Opening of the Groothandelsgebouw,
built to compensate for the loss of commercial premises during the war. Designed 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 intersecting 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 ‘driving 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 characteristic genre of melancholic Dutch folk songs,
sung by artists from around the country
14 February 1942
1951
who come to Oasis to give spontaneous
Without any further ceremony the MaasNew residential neighbourhoods, such
performances. Jaap Valkhoff became
tunnel, the first underground tunnel in
as northern Kleinpolder and Overschie ex- famous for his songs about Rotterdam,
the Netherlands and the longest in Euro- pansion plan, are developed by ‘idealistic including the Feyenoord classic Hand in
pe, is opened for all traffic. The escalators urban planner’ Lotte Stam-Beese. These
hand, kameraden.
are ready and the first cars are registered areas are designed to incorporate space,
on 1 April 1942.
community gardens and playgrounds.
21 May 1957
1970
Opening of the new Rotterdam Central
Station. Architect: Sybold van Ravesteyn.
Organisation of C70 manifestation. Where
previous manifestations focused on
rebuilding the port and industrial centre
of Rotterdam, this time the event highlighted recreation and leisure activities. The
city centre is showcased as an attractive
place to live rather than exclusively as a
working city.
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
1970
of the most famous post-war passenger
Feyenoord wins the European Cup and
ships. Sailing in the service of the Holland the World Cup.
America Line, this ship was later renovated and opened to the public in 2010 at
1970
the Derde Katendrechtse Hoofd.
In 1970 the City Council announces a
plan to fill in the Rotte river and build a
motorway into the heart of the city.
1960
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’.
1980
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 1981
March - September 1960
June 1970
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.
Hosting of the first Poetry International
festival, which grows into a celebrated
festival providing a stage for international poets every year.
Although there have been previous
marathons, this year for the first time the
Rotterdam Marathon runs through the
city centre. The event is still staged annually and draws thousands of marathon
runners and 900,000 visitors.
1962
June 1970
1983
Holland Pop Festival is staged in Kralingse 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.
Opening of the new Municipal Library
designed by Boot of Van den Broek and
Bakema architects.
The first foreign workers arrive in Rotterdam to work on rebuilding Rotterdam. A
number of hotels for migrants are opened 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 reconstruction that also started to take place.
1983
Created by architect Piet Blom, Blaakse Bos (Blaakse Forest, Cube Houses
and Pencil Building) was designed to
encourage social interaction between
residents.
Summer 1984
Holland Pop Festival | photo Herbert Behrens (NFM)
Start of the Summer Carnival, which began as an Antillean Summer Carnival organised 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.
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.
De Doelen | photo Lex de Herder (City Archive Rotterdam)
9 February 1968
Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus open
the first metro network in the Netherlands, 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.
1970
1970s
Poet, writer, jazz connoisseur, and musician 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.
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 Carnival, 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 Rotterdam-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
Summer Carnival | photo Lex de Herder (City Archive Rotterdam)
1987
De Kop van Zuid zoning plan is drafted. 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.
1988
Launch 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.
1990
2000
1990
2001
Celebration of Rotterdam’s 650th anniversary. On 7 June 1340, Count Willem IV
officially elevated the status of Rotterdam
from town to city.
The European Union declares Rotterdam
as Cultural Capital of Europe, a title the
city applied for in 1994. Motel Mozaïque
arts festival, which originated in collaboration with TENT, Rotterdam Schouwburg
theatre and Nighttown on the occasion of
the Cultural Capital, is established. Every
year the festival programme features music, theatre, performances and visual art
in venues throughout the city centre.
1990
Opzoomeren, 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.
1992
2001
Opening of the Nieuwe Luxor Theatre in
Rotterdam-Zuid on the Wilhelmina Pier,
designed by architects Bolles+Wilson.
Opening of De Kunsthal exhibition venue, 2002
designed by Rotterdam architect Rem
The start of Rotterdam Museum Night, an
Koolhaas of the internationally acclaievent in which various cultural institutimed OMA office.
ons open their doors to the public, attracting no less than 160,000 visitors.
1993
Gabberhouse 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.
2002
1993
31 May 2006
The Netherlands Architecture Institute is
established in Rotterdam, and is tasked
with supporting and managing Dutch architectural history. In 2013 it is incorporated into The New Institute, an arts institute
focused on contemporary architecture
and design.
Cees Helder, owner of Restaurant Park
Hill, is appointed Knight in the Order of
Oranje-Nassau.
13 March 1996
Sjaak and Clara Sies set up the Food
Bank in Rotterdam. It is the first in the
Netherlands.
2003
September 2007
Hosting of the 30th World Port Days, an
annual maritime event that showcases
the history and future of the port of Rotterdam. Rotterdam still is the biggest port of
Europe.
2010
2010
The prologue and first stage of the Tour
de France starts in Rotterdam. In 2015, the
Tour will again ride through Rotterdam.
2010
Opening of film theatre/jazz venue LantarenVenster in the building New Orleans
in Rotterdam-Zuid on the Wilhelmina Pier,
designed by architect Álvaro Siza.
8 February 2012
The pedestrian and cyclist bridge between Katendrecht and Wilhelminapier is
opened.
13 March 2014
Opening of the new, iconic Rotterdam
Central Station. Architects: Benthem
Crouwel Architects, MVSA Meyer & Van
Schooten Architects, and West 8.
Closure of dance club Now & Wow in the
Maassilo. Speedfreax, LOLITA and FLIRT
were some of the famous parties hosted
here.
2006
North Sea Jazz Festival relocates from The
Hague to Rotterdam, where it is staged
each year in Ahoy.
Rotterdam Central Station | photo Luke Harley
Inauguration 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.
5 April 2007
Rotterdam is declared City of Architecture 2007, and the plans for Maasvlakte 2,
a large land reclamation project in the
North Sea, are approved in this year.
13 March 2014
4 September 1996
15 May 2007
Queen 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 architect Ben van Berkel.
The boundary of the area devastated
during the bombing of 1940, the brandgrens, is visualised by 128 spotlights
projecting the demarcation line over Rotterdam in the night sky. In 2010 a permanent demarcation line was introduced in
the form of illuminated pavement tiles.
The Van Nelle factory is placed on the
UNESCO World Heritage List.
1996
Founding of the Gergiev Festival. This
classical music event was initiated by
Valery Gergiev, who until 2008 was
principal conductor of the Rotterdam
Philharmonic Orchestra.
2014
2014
Hosting of the first edition of Rotterdam
Pride, a collaboration of the City of Rotterdam, 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 Reconstruction.
1999
Wednesday 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.
Opening of Markthal, designed by
MVRDV Architects.
Brandgrens | photo Bas Czerwinski
www.rotterdamcelebratesthecity.com