Rotterdam, Netherlands

Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands, which is also part of the Randstad metropolis. The city belongs to the province of South Holland and is perched picturesquely on one of the arms of the Maas River. The city borrows its name Rotterdam from the former dam formed on these lands by the small river Rote. Historically, the first mention of Rotterdam is in 1282.

Rotterdam is known for its port, which is the largest in the country and in the European Union, as well as the third largest in the world, after those of Shanghai and Singapore. The Port of Rotterdam is located in the Rhine Delta and serves an extensive hinterland. Its outpost Hook van Holland is accessible to ships of large displacement.

The port is mainly occupied by the oil and chemical industry, as well as general cargo. Because of the importance of this port, Rotterdam is an important transit point for the transport of goods from Europe to overseas and back. In the first half of the 20th century, the center of the port moved west to the North Sea.

Continuing on the industrial aspect, it should also be mentioned the fact that Rotterdam has many factories for ships, aircraft, electrical engineering, petroleum products, chemicals, as well as for food products.

As a tourist destination, and quite a popular one at that, Rotterdam offers interesting places to visit, such as the town hall building, the St. Lawrence Cathedral and the Erasmus Rotterdam monument, as well as the cubist houses - a fruit of the architectural genius of Piet Blum from 1973, the university Erasmus, the "Europe Walk of Fame" and the zoo. Rotterdam also has a famous Academy of Fine Arts.

Rotterdam is a city rich in museums, among the famous ones are Bojmans-van Beuningen, the Netherlands Architecture Institute, the History Museum, the Museum of Foreign Languages and Cultures, the Naval Museum, the Fire Museum. Of particular importance for Rotterdam is the reconstruction of the ship De Delf - Scheepswerf `De Delf, located in the historic old port.

Rotterdam is a city that boasts an exciting nightlife and several major summer festivals that celebrate Rotterdam's multicultural identity. Impressive are the Caribbean-inspired Summer Carnival, the Dance Parade, Rotterdam 666, the pop festival Metropolis. The built image of Rotterdam is that of a working-class city. There is a famous saying that Amsterdam is for partying, The Hague for living and Rotterdam for work.