Tag: Netherlands

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Attractions

Kinderdijk, unique and up-close look at historic Holland

The Famous Netherlands wooden Windmills, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kinderdijk Windmill village

In addition to clogs and tulips, windmills are one of the most famous symbols of the Netherlands. Kinderdijk is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Netherlands. It’s located where the Lek and Noord Rivers meet and consists of 19 windmills built around 1740. This group of mills is one of the most famous Dutch tourist sites. If you want to see how the windmill’s interior works and how the miller’s families lived, you can look inside of the two windmills.

Table Of Contents
  1. History of Kinderdijk
  2. The origin of the name
  3. Kinderdijk tour
  4. Ticket purchase instructions
  5. Arrival from Rotterdam or Amsterdam
  6. Recommended Experiences

History of Kinderdijk

Kinderdijk mills were built to pump water from the low polder. At the bottom of each mill is a paddle wheel, which raises the water. They are architecturally unique and historically interesting, and still have the function for which they were built. Since 1868, two steam pumping stations have been built to help windmills do their job. In 1924, steam pumps were replaced by a diesel pumping station. Also, windmill mills today must be kept in good working condition in the case of a power failure or disaster.

The origin of the name

There are several versions of the history of the name Kinderdijk: The most famous story dates from 1421 during the great flood when a cradle was found at the site. The cat kept the cradle on the water, and inside it was a child who only survived the flood. Another story tells that the name Kinderdijk was created because the embankment was built with the help of child labor.

The third story is that Jan lived in a large house near Kinderdijk. He had many children and that is why this area is so named. The fourth version of the origin of the name Kinderdijk is that the embankment was low relative to the surrounding embankments, so it was like a “child”.

Kinderdijk tour

The entrance to Kinderdijk is free for walking. You only pay if you want to enter the Visitor Center, go to the windmill or a boat ride on the channels to see the windmills. What I suggest is renting a bike so you can visit all the windmills, relax, take pictures and have fun. You start your visit at the Visitor Center. (Wisboom Pumping Station). There you will find a small exhibition, a video with 6 screens and a subtitle in 4 languages. A brochure ticket is provided with the purchase of tickets.

Two mills are open to the public. One windmill has ground floor access only and the other gives you access to all 3 floors. Certainly, both give you an insight into how millers and their families once lived in these windmills. In addition to admiring the windmills, there is a movie, interactive games, and detailed tours. You can learn facts that may intrigue you, such as windmills are not used to grind corn as many people think but are actually used to pump water. Also, the Museum Complex also has a souvenir shop and a De Molenhook cafe.

Ticket purchase instructions

You can buy your tickets there, but you can easily do it online and you will get a savings of 2 euro per ticket (link). You will receive the e-ticket in a few minutes by email. Download the Kinderdijk app and you can link your ticket to the app for easy access. Also, the app has a lot of information about the site as well as an audio tour.

Arrival from Rotterdam or Amsterdam

If you like to see windmills on your trip to the Netherlands, this is one of the best places in the south of the Netherlands! All you have to do is hop on the train to Rotterdam, and when you arrive at the Central Station Rotterdam take the tram to Erasmusburg. You can reach the entrance of the Kinderdijk Windmill by a water bus starting from one platform close to the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam. Also, you can even use your OV chipkaart or simply buy tickets on boat.

Discover the most beautiful and interesting sights around Rotterdam with Rotterdam Travel Guide Experiences. Find, compare, and book sightseeing tours, attractions, excursions, things to do, and fun activities.

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FAQ

Is Rotterdam safe for a living?

Like anywhere in the world, staying in a bigger city means that security is getting smaller. This is also the case in Rotterdam. The city is the second-largest by population and the second-largest by the number of crimes in the Netherlands. During my four months of life in Rotterdam, I have never felt unsafe. In general, the Netherlands is considered to be a safe country, especially compared to neighbors in southern Europe where the crime rate is higher. Is Rotterdam safe for a living?

Table Of Contents
  1. Crime Index of Rotterdam – 36
  2. Personal security
  3. Conclusion – Is Rotterdam safe for a living?
  4. Recommended Experiences

Crime Index of Rotterdam – 36

On the Numbeo website, you can check the security in any city in the world (link). According to their data, Rotterdam has a Crime Index 36, which ranks it among the cities with low levels of crime. Cities with less than 20 are considered very low, between 20 and 40 as low, between 40 and 60 as moderate, between 60 and 80 as high and at the end of the crime level more than 80 as very high. Of course, in some segments, the number increases and exceeds 40 in Rotterdam. These are:

  • Level of crime – 38.45 (Low)
  • Crime increasing in the past 3 years – 43.93 (Moderate)
  • Worries home broken and things stolen – 32.70 (Low)
  • Problem people using or dealing drugs – 42.93 (Moderate)
  • Problem property crimes such as vandalism and theft – 46.50 (Moderate)

For comparison, the same crime index in Amsterdam is 33, The Hague 28 and Eindhoven just 26.

Personal security

General security throughout the day in most areas of the city is safe. But at night, some areas in the south of Rotterdam, it would be better to avoid. There are districts of the city such as Rotterdam-Zuid or Charlois. Also, it is recommended to avoid wearing a football jersey of Ajax Amsterdam or any other items that promote Ajax or Amsterdam.

Conclusion – Is Rotterdam safe for a living?

My answer is yes. If you think that security is one of the most important things when moving to Rotterdam, then I would recommend that you try to find accommodation in one of the suburbs of the city such as Barendrecht.

Discover the most beautiful and interesting sights around Rotterdam with Rotterdam Travel Guide Experiences. Find, compare, and book sightseeing tours, attractions, excursions, things to do, and fun activities.

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Museums & Galleries

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, see you in 2021

The Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is one of the oldest museums in the Netherlands. Although I’m not particularly interested in museums while exploring a foreign city, I’m glad we decided to visit this museum. Excellent exhibits ranging from Rembrandt, Dali, Van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky, and various fascinating sculptures are the reasons to spend a few hours in this magnificent museum. The museum is located in Museumpark. You can find a list of all the museums at the end of the article.

Table Of Contents
  1. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Collection
  2. Collection by Frans Jacob Otto Boijmans
  3. The museum is closed due to renovations

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Collection

The museum has a very varied collection of medieval to contemporary art. While most people stay in the areas of modern art, I enjoyed the area of their very good collection of early Italian and Dutch painters. The most famous artists who are exhibited at the permanent exhibition of the museum are Rembrandt, Claude Monet, Salvador Dali, Edvard Munch, René Magritte, Vincent van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky, and many others. You can find the entire collection on the official site of the museum (link).

Collection by Frans Jacob Otto Boijmans

If you are an art lover or just a curious person who likes to explore new things, I recommend this place to you. On the ground floor, there is a very nice modern cafe with a good view of the surrounding garden. Also, the museum store contains a large number of beautiful products inspired by the current collection and Rotterdam. Most of the collection is part of a private collection by Frans Jacob Otto Boijmans. Later this collection was added to the private collection by Daniël George van Beuningen. Today’s museum name is named by them.

The museum is closed due to renovations

From 27 May 2019, the museum is closed due to renovations. It is expected that the entire renovation lasts as long as seven years. However, by 2021, a new building next to the museum will be completed. In this new futuristic warehouse building, many works will be shown (see the building photos below). It should store and exhibit a museum collection of as many as 151,000 artworks. During the entire period of the renovation of the building, the museum collections will be exhibited at other museums in Rotterdam. The exhibitions will have the unique name ‘Boijmans Next Door’. Also, some of the collections will be presented abroad.

In the Museumpark there are some museums worth visiting:

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Travel

Wikkelboat, an original place to spend a night in the heart of Rotterdam

You still can’t decide where to spend the night in Rotterdam? If you want to experience Rotterdam in a special way then the Wikkelboat tiny houses are the best for you. They are located in the most beautiful marina in Rotterdam, The Red Apple Marina. Surrounded by skyscrapers, it is the only marina in the city centre and is just a couple of hundred meters away from the most important attractions in the city such as Markthall, Cube Houses, Old Harbor, Witte Huis, Erasmus Bridge etc. A great number of excellent reviews on Airbnb (link) tell us that this is really an original place worth a visit.

The houses are extremely multifunctional and very well equipped.

In addition, you can spend the night in them, they are ideal for some smaller meetings. The area of the Wikkelboat house is approximately 30 square meters and consists of 2 bedrooms and a small bathroom and a kitchen in the space between them. On both sides, there is a small terrace. Also, there is a small BBQ grill and an inflatable boat for 2 persons. Of course, there are a number of other services that are available at an extra cost. I will mention only some of them: jacuzzi on the outside terrace, the possibility of renting an electric boat and rental of the Stark Drive E-bicycle. Find the full list at the following link.

The Wikkelboat house is a viable tiny house based on a wrapped cardboard

The material used for the construction of this house is wrapped cardboard. Because of that, the house is well insulated and also low weight. In general, Wikkelen is a Dutch word for wrapping. The underside is made of aluminium with air conditioning and drainage. The house is not a problem to move to another location, but it’s not available to guests.

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Attractions

De Rotterdam, one of the most iconic buildings in the city

De Rotterdam is an impressive new building at Wilhelminapier on the south bank of the Maas River. The building was designed by world-famous architect Rem Koolhaas and attracted a lot of attention from the international press. The building became an icon of the city, and even more, confirmed the thesis of Rotterdam as the city of architecture. Otherwise, the inspiration for the building’s name was one of Holland America Line’s ships transporting emigrants from Rotterdam to New York (more information about the Hotel New York at the following link).

Table Of Contents
  1. About building
  2. De Rotterdam Tour
  3. Rotterdam = Manhattan on the Mass
  4. Most iconic buildings in the city
  5. Recommended Experiences

About building

The building is designed as a vertical city. It consists of 3 interconnected towers with offices, apartments, hotels, conference halls, shops, restaurants, and cafes. The largest area is in office space and housing. With a total of 44 floors and even an area of 160,000 m², it is the largest building in the Netherlands. The entire building was built in just 4 years. The construction started in 2009 and was completed in 2013. The building was designed in 1998, which means that it took over 10 years to the start of construction.

De Rotterdam Tour

You can visit the building via De Rotterdam Tour. Tour takes about 1 hour. The guide will tell you all about building, architecture and building use. Also, you will climb to the 31st floor from where you have a 360-degree view of the city. Find more information on the official website here.

Also, there is a possibility of free visits to the roof terrace of the hotel Nhow. The hotel bar offers a brilliant ambiance to enjoy a drink with your friends while enjoying the Rotterdam skyline. Find out more here.

Rotterdam = Manhattan on the Mass

Considering that the building is located near the Erasmus Bridge, Montevideo, and the New York hotel, surroundings make it the perfect place to take nice photos. My favorite view was when you cross the Erasmus bridge. Definitely, Rotterdam is a paradise for people who love architecture and this building is just a small part of what this city offers.

Most iconic buildings in the city

Take a day to explore architecture in Rotterdam. In the last few decades, many new city icons have been designed. The Markthal, De Rotterdam, and Kunsthal were designed by Rem Koolhaas, one of the most accomplished Dutch architects of all time.  Do you know why we have a lot of masterpieces of architecture in Rotterdam? Let’s go back to the time of World War II. A total of 150 bombs of 50 kilograms and 158 bombs of 250 kilos were dropped in the center of the city. Approximately 2.6 kilometers square was almost leveled and more than 900 civilians were killed by the bombs.

I hope you enjoyed reading the article “De Rotterdam, one of the most iconic buildings in the city″. Discover the most beautiful and interesting sights around Rotterdam with Rotterdam Travel Guide. Find, compare, and book sightseeing tours, attractions, excursions, things to do, and fun activities.

Find out more information about De Rotterdam on:

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FAQ

How it is to live in Rotterdam?

Have you ever wanted to live in Rotterdam? I spent 4 months in Rotterdam during an internship in an architectural office. For a foreigner like me, the city has left very positive impressions. The city is extremely famous for its modern architecture, making it unique in Europe, but also for the largest European port. Also, the city has an advanced public transportation system and is particularly emphasized by the huge network of cycling trails as well as a huge network of bicycle paths. So, how it is to live in Rotterdam?

Bigger salaries, along with career growth and greater quality of life

Local residents will always appreciate the diligence and hard work. They have an extremely working mentality. During a conversation with a local resident, he told me he had worked almost all day until 23 o’clock while the company was in the beginning. For all of us with a Mediterranean mentality, this is something incomprehensible. Of course, the workers’ salaries are much higher than the average European. The average salary is about 42,000 euros a year. For architects like me, it’s a little less and it’s about 28,000 euros a year (that means you’ll have between 2 and 3 thousand a month).

Rotterdam is a multicultural city open to everyone

Rotterdam is an extremely multicultural city with no race for the most part. An interesting fact is that the current mayor grew up in Morocco, by religion, he is a Muslim. Very often on the street, you can hear English, which shows a large number of foreigners in the city. You will also be surprised by the fact that over 80% of the Dutch speak English. I got the impression that the Dutch are very open and welcome to strangers, so I’m sure you will find your place if you move here.

Is it better to live in Rotterdam than in Split?

Since I’m from Croatia I will make a small comparison. Most of us lack the warm weather and sunny days, warm people, drinking coffee throughout the day and architecture for centuries. On the other hand, in Rotterdam, you can get a much brighter future and a more hectic life. You will have a better financial situation, but you will have a lot more time to spend time with your vacation.

Since I’m from Croatia I will make a small comparison. The most I miss the warm weather and sunny days, warm people and drinking coffee all day. On the other hand in Rotterdam, you can get a much brighter future and a much faster life. You will have a better financial situation, but more often you will need to have a holiday due to the speed of life and stress.

Housing Problem

The big problem in Rotterdam is to find housing. I suggest you start your search 6 months before arrival. The apartment at the student dorm I paid as much as 750 euros. For a room in a shared apartment, the price is about 500 euros. It is also interesting that if you decide to buy the property, the price per square meter in Rotterdam and Split is literally the same. This was my opinion about life in this city. Now I ask you the same question:

How it is to live in Rotterdam?

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Food & Drink

Broeinest Café, look inside the material library and a meeting place

During my internship in Rotterdam, I walked every day near this place. After a few months, the boss has convened a meeting about the company’s future at this cafe. Since we were all architects, this place was delighted for us. The Broeinest Café is a material library and a meeting place for architects and designers. This place offers much more, because here except that you can drink coffee, you can have breakfast, lunch, attend workshops or lectures. The founders of this coffee bar idea with the materials are Baars & Bloemhoff company.

Personally, I had a feeling like I had come to a coworking space. The reason is that there are closed working rooms for one person (they are also available to all visitors). The cafe also has a consultation room, sitting area as in the living room, and many different desks. The specificity of this place is that there is also a workshop with a manual tool. Although the Broeinest Café looks almost perfect for architects and designers, it is great to visit for anyone who is looking for new ideas and creative things.

Broeinest Café has over 2500 different decorative materials

Here you will find over 2500 different decorative materials. It is also very interesting that all the materials can be borrowed, as in a traditional library. Baars & Bloemhoff managed to collect this huge collection thanks to many partners. These are some of them:

This is just part of the company I found on the Internet. I believe that the list has increased to this day. But I’m sure the number of Broeinest Cafés has increased. The first was opened in Eindhoven, then in Rotterdam and recently opened in Amsterdam. Also, it will soon open in Utrecht.

Discover the most beautiful and interesting sights around Rotterdam with Rotterdam Travel Guide Experiences. Find, compare, and book sightseeing tours, attractions, excursions, things to do, and fun activities.

Find out more information about Broeinest Café on:

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FAQ

Is Rotterdam worth visiting if I’m in the Netherlands?

Is Rotterdam worth visiting? The answer to the question is definitely yes. A few months ago I came to practice in Rotterdam and was delighted with all the things it offers. Before bombing in World War II, the city was mostly similar to other Dutch cities such as Amsterdam, Den Haag, Utrecht, etc. Since the entire center was destroyed, architects no longer had to worry about heritage. They got the chance to build something completely modern, in complete contrast to what was before.

Already when you leave the bus station or train station you will see how modern this city is. Rotterdam is also called European Manhattan because of many skyscrapers. The best view of the city is definitely the Erasmus Bridge with many skyscrapers in the background. I spent my first day in Rotterdam on a bicycle and I definitely recommend it to you. All the attractions I’ve visited in just 5-6 hours drive find here.

Is Rotterdam worth visiting?

You can spend most of the time walking and enjoying the modern architecture, but you can also go on a boat trip to the largest European port. Exactly the harbor is one of the reasons why this city has become so modern. The port covers more than 105 km2 and extends over 40 km.

Some of the best attractions to visit (find the full list here):

There are plenty of places close to the city that are worth visiting. One of them is Kinderdijk with a lot of windmills, which are today under UNESCO protection. My opinion is that the Zaanse Schans windmills in Amsterdam are nothing nicer and better than these.

Also, if the weather is nice and you have a lot of time, you can visit Den Haag. I’ve even visited with the bike which was my best trip during my internship in Rotterdam. During this trip, I also visited Delft and as a final point, De Pier.

Is Rotterdam worth visiting? In the end, Rotterdam is totally different from other European cities. In conversation with people who spent their youth in the city, today they do not recognize the city. Many buildings have become recognizable worldwide. The reason for this is the top architectural offices located in the city and the most famous is OMA with Rem Koolhaas.

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Attractions

De Brug building is raised as a giant bridge structure

The reason why I decided to come to an internship in Rotterdam is its magnificent architecture. Apart from all the famous buildings such as Markthal or Cube House, there is a lot of great architecture that you will hardly find on the Internet. De Brug building caught my eye from the first arrival in Rotterdam. The new business building of Unilever has been constructed as the structure of a large bridge. It is 133 meters long and literally floats 25 meters above the old Blue Band margarine factory complex.

Table Of Contents
  1. How did the building get its name?
  2. Transparency of De Brug building
  3. Cooling and heating

How did the building get its name?

It is made as a steel construction in combination with a concrete slab floorboard. Considering that the building has only three vertical points 25 meters above ground level, a large steel grating on the facades was needed. For this reason, the building has the look of the old-fashioned bridge and therefore it was named. The building was designed by JHK Architects.

Transparency of De Brug building

The new business building consists of four floors measuring approx. 32×133 meters. They are completely transparent (glass and steel). The reason is to prevent the building from being dominated by the surrounding. Also, the advantage is that daylight can enter deep into the building complex. Since it is an office building, the interior spaces are maximally open and flexible. The goal is to promote communication as much as possible. This was accomplished by minimizing the use of inner partition walls.

Cooling and heating

As I mentioned earlier in the text, the façades are completely transparent with the large use of glass. A big question is how to put all these areas warm and cool. The solution was in LTV radiators that fully compensate for the cold air of windows. Thanks to this method of heating a view to the outside remain almost unlimited. Interesting is the fact that LTV radiators and ceiling cooling system using water from the river Maas.

Find out more information about De Brug building on:

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Attractions

Witte Huis, the first highrise building in Europe built in 1898

Looking at this building you will feel like you’re in an American city. And not without reason! By order of Brothers Gerrit and Herman van der Schuyt, it was built in the late 19th century as a ‘big business building in the American spirit’ in Rotterdam. The Witte Huis (White House) was the first multi-story building of this type and the first European highrise building of 43 meters in Europe when it was built in 1898. It is located in the Old Port (Oude Haven) and it is absolutely a must-see because, in reality, it looks much more impressive than in the photos.

There were many problems during construction. They feared that the building would sink, so the builders made special plans. More than 1000 piles were driven into the ground to support the building’s weight. Construction materials included steel, iron, and concrete to make sure the building was stable enough. Since the Witte Huis building had an elevator, it was technologically advanced too!

The building stands out from the others because of its facade. It contains a white glazed brick with many decorations and statues of Art-Nouveau style. The building Witte Huis also survived the German bombing of Rotterdam in 1940. In 1997, the owners changed and the building was renovated. Since 2015, LED lighting has been installed in order to be beautifully illuminated at night.

The building is not open to the public and the only thing you can visit is the ground floor where Het Witte Huis coffee shop is located. Also, in front of the building in Old Port, there are several beautiful cafés where you can sit and enjoy the view on Witte Huis. Today, this building is protected as a National Monument and is on the list of UNESCO protected heritage sites.

Find out more information about Witte Huis building on:

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