Historical Figures

In this section, we present some of the historical figures who contributed to the construction and development of the city of Rotterdam. The city features monuments, street names, events, and associations dedicated to these individuals.

Erasmus de Rotterdam (1469-1536)

Considered the most renowned figure from Rotterdam, Erasmus was an intellectual giant and became one of Europe’s foremost thinkers, laying the foundations of the humanist movement.

Erasmus began his education at the age of four, attending a school in Gouda. At nine years old, his father sent him to a prestigious Latin grammar school, where his natural academic abilities flourished. Following his parents’ death in 1483 due to the plague, Erasmus was placed under the care of tutors who insisted on his becoming a monk.

In 1492, due to poverty, Erasmus entered monastic life and was ordained as a Catholic priest, although he never actively served as a clergyman. Erasmus’s life changed dramatically when he became the secretary to Henry of Bergen, the Bishop of Cambrai, who was impressed by his Latin proficiency. The bishop allowed Erasmus to travel to Paris to study classical literature and Latin, where he was introduced to the Renaissance humanism.

During his time in Paris, Erasmus gained recognition as an excellent scholar and lecturer. In 1499, he traveled to England and met Thomas More and John Colet, who had a significant influence on him. Over the next ten years, Erasmus divided his time between France, the Netherlands, and England, producing some of his finest works.

On July 12, 1536, while preparing to move to the Netherlands, Erasmus fell ill and died from dysentery. Although remaining faithful to the Roman Church, he did not receive the last rites.

Among his notable works are “Adages,” “The Manual of the Christian Knight,” “On the Method of Study,” “In Praise of Folly,” “Education of a Christian Prince,” “Translation of the New Testament into Latin,” “Colloquies,” “On the Firm and Gentle Teaching of Children,” “Ecclesiastes” (a treatise on preaching), and “Preparation for Death.”

All of Erasmus’s works were censored and included in the “Index of Prohibited Books” by the Council of Trent. They were also denounced by most Protestant thinkers, and he has even been accused of preparing the Reformation.

Johan van Oldenbarneldt (1547-1619)

Born in Amersfoort into an aristocratic family with feudal origins, van Oldenbarnevelt served as the grand pensionary of Rotterdam, a position equivalent to the state’s attorney responsible for the municipality’s financial and judicial departments.

During his tenure, the expansion of the Waterstad area began, and the capacity of the port was increased. In 1586, van Oldenbarnevelt became the prime minister of the regions of West Friesland and Holland, which were smaller at the time due to the southern part of the country being occupied by Spain.

During this period, he played a key role in the creation of the first multinational corporation, the VOC (Dutch East India Company), and made Rotterdam a participant in the business. The VOC brought raw materials from the East Indies and sold them in Europe.

This spice trade brought significant wealth, and the Dutch regions became prosperous, heralding a Golden Age for the merchants. Van Oldenbarnevelt ensured that Rotterdam had a share in this business.

He played an important role in the politics of the United Dutch Republic, which consisted of the northern part of Belgium and Holland at that time. He was condemned to death for high treason under dubious circumstances and beheaded at the Binnenhof in The Hague in 1619.

Piet Heyn (1577-1629)

He was born in Delfshaven, a neighborhood of Rotterdam. In 1623, he became a Vice Admiral for the West India Company (WIC). The WIC’s main mission was to send pirate ships. Heyn worked as a pirate during the war between the United Provinces and Spain.

He sailed with the company on their first mission, which had 26 ships, with orders to capture the city of Bahia in Brazil. Heyn captured many Spanish and Portuguese ships before gaining fame for seizing the Spanish Silver Fleet in 1628 near Cuba, which carried valuable metals from Mexico and Peru to Spain.

Piet Heyn returned to the Netherlands in 1629 with loot worth 11 million florins. He had planned to retire with his share of the loot, but he was called back into active duty as a lieutenant admiral of Holland. He was given command of the entire Dutch fleet and was ordered to eliminate the Dunkirk pirates who were hired by King Philip IV of Spain. While his fleet destroyed the pirates, Heyn died in battle.

He was a very famous figure, to the point of inspiring children’s songs: “Piet Heyn! His name is short / magnificent his feat / He was the one who captured / the silver fleet.”

Willen Nicolaas Rose (1801-1877)

W.N. Rose was born on January 8, 1801, in Cheribon, Java, Indonesia, into a powerful family. He studied at the Delft School of Artillery and Engineering, graduating in 1822.

After his education, he served in the army until 1839, designing fortresses. His military training and practical experience allowed him to become a skilled engineer. He had a strong interest in architecture and quickly gained a great reputation in the field.

From 1839 to 1855, he was considered Rotterdam’s architect.

Rose is regarded as one of the best architects in Dutch contemporary history. He improved the city’s infrastructure, such as the sewer system, gas and electricity supply, construction of schools, and the creation of a forest in Kralingen. He also designed bridges, docks, ports, buildings, and urban development plans.

His vision included creating green spaces, canals, and boulevards in Rotterdam. However, his plans for a new city and ports were consistently rejected. His “Water Project,” which involved building canals around the city and expanding the ports in the Feijenoord area, was completed by his successors. He introduced sidewalks and gas lighting in the city.

Gerrit Johannes de Jongh (1845-1917)

De Jongh received military and technical training at the Royal Military Academy in Breda after obtaining permission from the Minister of War. At the age of 20, he became a Second Lieutenant of Engineers. As a fortress engineer, he was responsible for constructing Fort Uitermeer near Weesperkarspel. He also worked on other military constructions and took on private commissions, such as restoring a church in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

In 1879, he became the director of municipal works in Rotterdam, succeeding the accomplished W.N. Rose. De Jongh developed a large harbor complex on the left bank of the Meuse River, which included Rijnhaven and Maashaven. His work focused on facilitating the mass transit of goods during that time. Over time, general cargo transportation shifted to the right bank of the Meuse River, where De Jongh also built or designed port docks. He also modernized the port facilities by introducing electrical equipment. He promoted industrial development by constructing the port railway.

He improved the city’s infrastructure by working on the sewer system, gas and electricity supply, building schools, and creating the forest in Kralingen.

He provided advice for constructing Laakhaven in The Hague and other projects in different parts of the Netherlands. He also helped enhance harbor facilities in Gothenburg, built ports in Ireland, and introduced floating docks in Portugal and Surabaya. He served as an advisor to national governments on various state committees.

After retiring in 1910, De Jongh continued to be a member of the Provincial States of South Holland until 1916. During his later years, he lived in The Hague but remained connected to Rotterdam as a commissioner for the Holland-America Line.

In a speech to the city council after De Jongh’s death, Mayor Zimmerman paid tribute to the man whose spirit “inspired the entire industry of port construction in Rotterdam.”