Rotterdam is a harbour city with a striking skyline, shaped by a century of radical change. Its port expanded rapidly in the 19th century. When wartime bombing destroyed the city centre in 1940, planners seized the opportunity to build something entirely new on a canvas of around 260 hectares.
The result is a city centre unlike any other in the Netherlands: modernist in its bones, with pedestrianised streets and a skyline that was designed to grow. Postwar landmarks like De Lijnbaan sit alongside more recent projects by architects like MVRDV and OMA, which explore how to introduce more urban life into a centre that was originally designed around commerce and traffic flow.
This tour takes you through the layers of Rotterdam’s development — explaining how modernist ideals shaped the centre, what the city looks like when those ideals meet contemporary urban challenges, and how architects are responding today.
Explanations about urban development, post-war planning, recent interventions
Central Station (Team CS, 2013): Modern transport hub that reflects the city’s ongoing reinvention
Residential densification projects in the city centre
Cube Houses (Piet Blom, 1984): Striking example of experimental architecture, with homes built at a 45-degree angle
Market Hall (MVRDV, 2013): Multifunctional space that combines a covered market with apartments
