Rotterdam is the coolest city — and these epic pics prove it

It’s official: we’re mega-fans of Rotterdam! Shedding its crappy parts and putting up new amazing architectural highlights, Rotterdam can be compared to a caterpillar that turned into a beautiful butterfly over the past few years.

As a born Rotterdammer, I already had the pleasure of writing at DutchReview about some great photographers in Rotterdam. Now, let’s look at some of the best shots of Rotterdam!

Epic Rotterdam by Gestaltes

Who are we talking about here? Gestaltes are two friends with a passion for photography and the city — and they do a great job making Rotterdam look super special.

READ MORE | 24 best and free things to do in Rotterdam in 2023

Let’s look at some of Rotterdam’s iconic architectural buildings one at a time, or as they say in Rotterdam: geen woorden maar daden — no words but deeds.

The Erasmus Bridge

While Erasmus Bridge is fairly young (opened in 1996), it quickly became a symbol of the port city. It’s also made it onto all kinds of “best bridges in the world” lists and you can see why:

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Have you seen this bridge yet? Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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It’s something else! Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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Erasmus Bridge at night! Image: Gestaltes/Supplied

De Rotterdam

Right next to the Erasmus Bridge, you can find De Rotterdam building. It’s huge and was only completed a few years ago, but is already a crowd favourite.

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Check out that architecture! Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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Rotterdam is known for its modern buildings. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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Look at this giant! Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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Not like Amsterdam at all! Image: Gestaltes/Supplied

New Orleans

Right next to De Rotterdam is the New Orleans building. A 46-storey, 158-metre tall residential skyscraper designed by Álvaro Siza Vieira, it is the second tallest residential building in the Netherlands (after Zalmhaven which was recently completed — also in Rotterdam).

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Echt modern. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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Imagine living here. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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Heck. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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And at night! Image: Gestaltes/Supplied

Kop van Zuid

All these buildings, as well as Rotterdam’s Cruise Terminal, are located at the Kop van Zuid neighbourhood. It’s a Walhalla for architecture lovers and photographers.

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A Dutch city like no other. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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You have to wonder where they took inspiration from. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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An interesting view. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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Old meets new. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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No windmills here. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied

The Central Station of Rotterdam

Amsterdam has been working for decades on theirs — but Rotterdam finished its awesome train station under its budget and time schedule (and it’s lit af).

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Check out this building! Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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Functionality meets fashion. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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The station boasts multiple platforms. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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An innovative building. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied

Tons of other architectural highlights

Rotterdam has tons of other plans for new and epic buildings and there’s still plenty in the city to discover.

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And we didn’t even specifically talk about the Markthal and the Cube houses.Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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Check out that wall art. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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And this interesting design. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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An eclectic combination of designs. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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Is that the moon?? Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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That’s one strong bridge. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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The city is just beautiful. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
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Pointy. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied

Bonus: the Buttplug Gnome in Rotterdam

The bronze statue was intended to show Santa holding a festive bell and a Christmas tree, but the artist that made it, Paul McCarthy, did it a bit differently.

READ MORE | 31 unmissable things to do in Rotterdam in 2023

After some moaning by Rotterdammers about the costs, the sexually active gnome became adopted and loved by the city.

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Kabouter buttplug :D. Image: Gestaltes/Supplied

Have you been to Rotterdam yet? What do you love the most about the city? Let us know in the comments!

Feature Image: Gestaltes/Supplied
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in January 2018, and was fully updated in July 2023 for your reading pleasure. 

Abuzer van Leeuwen 🇳🇱
Abuzer van Leeuwen 🇳🇱http://www.abuzervanleeuwen.nl
Abuzer founded DutchReview a decade ago because he thought expats needed it and wanted to make amends for the Dutch cuisine. He has a Masters in Political Science and IT but somewhere always wanted to study history or good old football. He also a mortgage in the Netherlands and will happily tell you too how to get one. Born and raised in Rotterdam, Abuzer now lives in Leiden but is always longing back to his own international year in Italy.

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5 COMMENTS

  1. Such a beautiful city! a total espectacular architectonic style, that seems to ve unique un the world!

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