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Rotterdam revamps port

Ferry Online Travel News 02/09/2007

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From dingy trainyard to thriving business centre

Rotterdam, Netherlands is the biggest commercial port in the world, and handles a massive amount of cargo everyday from all over the world. But aside form its industrial history and reputation that goes along with being a port city, in recent years Rotterdam has reinvented itself as a centre for the arts, with the main focus on architecture. The city was flattened in World War II, and turned tragedy into opportunity; seizing the chance to start from scratch and rebuild the town.

Other Dutch cities are more concerned with the preservation of their historical buildings- and with good cause, but this difference gives Rotterdam a unique outlook as far as Holland's cities go.

Project Director for Rotterdam City Ports, Hans Beekman plans to revive a piece of the port and turn a decrepit piece of the Waalhaven area into a place where people will actually want to come. They plan to do this with shopping, eating and office buildings.

In 10 years, the Port Authority says, this ramshackle area now being avoided will be transformed into a vibrant business park, making the land prime real estate and also protecting the adjacent neighbourhoods from too much industrial noise.

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