CITY GUIDE
ROTTERDAM
³ Why Go Now: Innovative architecture and a firm focus on the future make this Dutch city a dazzler
With its striking design-
forward architecture,
Rotterdam is not your
traditional Dutch town.
Flattened by German
bombs in World War II,
the Netherlands’
second largest muni-
cipality has evolved
from a gritty harbor city
into one of Europe’s
most exciting urban
destinations. Amid
buildings by renowned
architects like native
son Rem Koolhaas, new
sustainability initiatives
are emerging, such as
a “smog-eating” tower
and incentives to slash
shipping emissions in
Europe’s busiest port.
“Reinventing is part
of Rotterdam’s DNA,”
says local digital
entrepreneur Arnold
van Iterson. In May the
city will host the green-
est yet Eurovision Song
Contest, with some
3,000 solar panels on
the event venue. But as
Rotterdam rises, “don’t
expect us to take on
starlike airs,” says van
Iterson. “We keep both
feet on the ground.”
—Dirk Wijnand de JongAt Rotterdam’s
Market Hall,
residences wrap a
retail hot spot.