Rotterdam

The settlement at the lower end of the fen stream Rotte (or Rotta, as it was then known, from rot, "muddy", and a, "water", thus "muddy water") dates from at least the year 950. Around 1150, large floods in the area ended development, leading to the construction of protective dikes and dams, including Schielands Hoge Zeedijk ("Schieland's High Sea Dike") along the northern banks of the present-day Nieuwe Maas river. A dam on the Rotte was built in the 1260s and was located at the present-day Hoogstraat ("High Street"). On 7 July 1340, Count Willem IV of Holland granted city rights to Rotterdam, which then had a population of only a few thousand. …

Rotterdam is divided into a northern and a southern part by the river Nieuwe Maas, connected by (from west to east): the Beneluxtunnel; the Maastunnel; the Erasmusbrug; a subway tunnel; the Willemsspoortunnel ('Willems railway tunnel'); the Willemsbrug ('Willems Bridge') together with the Koninginnebrug ('Queen's Bridge'); and the Van Brienenoordbrug ('Van Brienenoord Bridge'). The former railway lift bridge De Hef ('the Lift') is preserved as a Rijksmonument (national heritage site) in lifted position between the Noordereiland ('North Island') and the south of Rotterdam. The city centre is located on the northern bank of the Nieuwe Maas, although recent urban development has extended the centre to parts of southern Rotterdam known as Kop van Zuid ('the Head of South', i.e., the northern part of southern Rotterdam). …

Once primarily a city of labour for its harbour and related industries, Rotterdam has developed into a city of culture, with various museums, cultural centres and activities, offering a stage for architecture, music, visual arts, poetry, cinema, theatre, and culture more generally, with a range of festivals and other events and a buzzing nightlife. The city has its own orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, with its well-regarded young music director, Lahav Shani, which plays at the congress and concert building De Doelen. The Ahoy complex in the south of the city is used for pop concerts, exhibitions, tennis tournaments and other activities. There are also several theatres and cinemas, including LantarenVenster and Cinerama. Alongside Porto, Rotterdam was European Capital of Culture in 2001. Rotterdam has various cultural institutions. …