Monuments

In this section, you can see the most notable monuments of Rotterdam. Click on the pictures for more information.

Rotterdam, often called the “Manhattan of the Maas,” is filled with tall buildings and modern structures. During the Second World War, the city suffered severe bombings by the Germans, and the city center was destroyed. Despite this, a few buildings from the past miraculously survived, and even though the city center was rebuilt, Rotterdam chose to preserve and take care of some of them.

Rotterdam has over 1000 monuments, including 622 national monuments and more than 390 municipal monuments. There are also 8 protected monuments.

A national monument is a building, body of water, land, or another object that used to have to be at least fifty years old (this requirement was removed in 2012) and holds national importance due to its beauty, scientific significance, or historical and cultural value. This is stated in the Netherlands Monument Act of 1988. However, an object that meets these criteria is only a protected landmark if it is listed in the Monument Register.

In Rotterdam, 26 buildings from the reconstruction period between 1940 and 1965 have been designated as national monuments (out of the 187 monuments in the Netherlands). The list of 26 reconstructed monuments tells the diverse story of post-war Rotterdam, encompassing its history, economy, culture, and architecture.

Municipal monuments are local landmarks of significance, and there is no age limit of fifty years for them, by the way.

Rotterdam has 8 protected monuments. These include the historic Delfshaven, Midden de Kralingen, Scheepvaartkwartier, and Noordereiland. In 2014, Vreewijk, Heemraadssingel-Mathenesserlaan, the districts of Bergpolder and Blijdorp, and the seven canals of the Water Project were designated as protected points of urban interest.

The list of Rotterdam’s oldest buildings consists of 20 national landmarks dating back to before 1700. Many of these landmarks are found in neighboring areas that are now part of Rotterdam’s municipalities, like Delfshaven, Hillegersberg, and Overschie. The five oldest buildings in Rotterdam are churches built between 1300 and 1500.