De Hef

De Hef is the commonly used name in Rotterdam for the monumental Koningshaven Bridge.

This railway bridge has been inactive since the Willems Railway Tunnel opened in 1993. All the other bridges on this route were demolished.

De Hef was part of the Rotterdam-Dordrecht railway line. This railway line was opened in 1877 and was part of the state railway line from Amsterdam to Belgium. It was designed by Pieter Joosting.

National Monument

When the demolition of the striking bridge was announced, it caused a great uproar in the city. After many protests, the demolition was abandoned. The drawbridge received the status of a national monument.

The drawbridge, dating back to 1927, holds innovative value as the first example of an asymmetrical movable drawbridge in the Netherlands. De Hef consists of three wrought-iron lattice spans resting on pillars in the water.

From 2015 to 2017, de bridge underwent restoration. The main maintenance work involved replacing steel parts, removing old layers of paint, and repainting it in its original moss green color.

The History of De Hef

In the mid-19th century, due to Rotterdam’s population growth, construction began on the other side of the Maas River.

At the same time, in 1877, a new railway link was established, connecting the northern Netherlands with the south through a one-kilometer-long railway bridge that passed through the city.

On November 2, 1918, a collision between a German steamship and the railway swing bridge made it unusable. The demand for a drawbridge became stronger and stronger.

Preparatory work began in 1925, and in 1927, P. Oosting, the head of the bridge construction department at NS (Dutch Railways), initiated the design.

De Hef, Symbol of the Port City

The bridge consists of two elevator towers, nearly 70 meters high, built on concrete foundations. Between them is the movable bridge deck, measuring 52 meters in length. From this part of the bridge (the counterweight), steel cables hang and move over wheels, while two concrete blocks serve as counterweights.

Demolition…protest…monument

With the opening of the railway tunnel in 1994, De Hef lost its purpose. After a long debate in the city on whether to preserve or demolish the bridge, the people of Rotterdam launched passionate protests, and it was ultimately decided that it should remain.

De Hef was officially designated a national monument on April 3, 2000.

Currently, the bridge remains open all the time to allow the passage of ships.

Discover other bridges in Rotterdam