A daily dose of Rotterdam since august 2019
Remember this picture? Today I was in front of the top! Not in a helicopter but in front of a model that is in the hall of the church entrance 🙂 Next time I climb the stairs of the tower of the Grote of Sint-Laurens church to show you the view of Rotterdam!
Today started with rain, around noon it was still raining and when I was almost ready with work it started pouring with rain! I took this photo at Blaak station. An hub where train meets metro, metro meets the tram and vice versa 🙂 I like the mood/colors. And can you spot a rather famous architecture design? Yes, you see a glimpse of the kubus (cube) appartments in which no wall is straight!
Walking home this evening I walked past this mural De lijst (the frame), named after the restaurant De lijst and made by artist Cor Kraat in 1980. It was placed nearby on a other building above restaurant De lijst, demolition of the restaurant meant it had to move in 1988 to another building and again it had to move in 2002 to the current location at the Oostzeedijk Beneden. Restored in 2019 in all his glory. I like the frames inside the frame…
Its sunday and I found it appropriate to show the Grote of Sint-Laurens church. She’s the only survivor of the cities middle ages centre. Building started in 1449 with the tower and in about 1500 the church was completed. During WWII the church was heavily damaged but rebuild and in 1968 again completed. Visit the church and climb the tower for a nice view of the surrounding city! Nice weather today so enjoy a quiet sunday just like I do!
A couple of days ago I passed the rear (Rodezand) of the old Main Postoffice located at the Coolsingel. This was an entrance to the innercourt for the lorries with the mail and packages etc. Build between 1915 and 1923 in a classic style with some art deco elements. It survived the second world war but was closed in 2007 and out of use since but plans are to reuse it for appartments, a hotel and shops…
About 300 of these stones – Stolpersteine or stumble stones, a project of the German artist Gunter Demnig – are placed in the pavement in front of the houses where the Jewish victims used to live in Rotterdam. Most of these victims were deported to camps as Auschwitz, Sobibor, Bergen-Belsen or Mauthausen. I photographed these stones in the pavement of the Goudsesingel, not far from where I live.
P.S. About 61.000 of these stones spread over 22 countries are placed. All bear the names of Jewish victims. Here you can find a list of the stones in Rotterdam >>
Between 1973 and 1976 this building was build. Architect Piet Zanstra designed it for the Shell Pensioenfonds whom rented it to the Shell Cooperation. 95 Meters high, 26 floors and a parking for 306 cars. After completion in 1976 criticism was fierce and the council decided a stop for building this kind of high buildings. Not for long though and Rotterdam is now renown for the (high) architecture, nickname ‘Manhattan aan de Maas’ (Manhattan along the river Maas).
Today is themeday for the City Daily Photo community and the theme of september is red. Red for dangerous driving! This car seems to crash trough the wall of this parking garage, so fit for theme day! But nothing serious though, its a ‘popart’ thing hanging on since 1987. Made by artgroup Kunst & Vaarwerk 1979-1992.
Looking up to our city hall, build between 1914 – 1920 and a survivor of the bombardments in 1940 by the German Luftwaffe, there a many figures and one of them looks to me to be a dockworker or shipbuilder from the past…