Rotterdam is the largest seaport in Europe, and until recently also in the world. It is a modern, dynamic city, which despite the few monuments attracts many tourists every year. It is associated with its modern architecture and numerous trade fairs taking place here.
Rotterdam was founded in the 13th century in the Rhine and Meuse delta. In the 16th century, a port began to be built over one of the mouth arms, which was then expanded to include the Nieuwe Waterweg canal. Already a hundred years later it began to bring great benefits to the city, mainly through the development of trade with France and England, and in the following centuries also with overseas colonies. In addition, the city became an important center of cloth and shipbuilding. The next milestone in the development of Rotterdam was the creation of the Ruhr Basin in the mid-nineteenth century, from which raw materials and products went to the local port. At that time, the city boasted beautiful, historic buildings and huge warehouses in the port district. All this was destroyed in May 1940, when Rotterdam survived the Luftwaffe carpet raid.
Today Rotterdam is a city with almost no monuments. The Gothic church of St. survived the old buildings. Wawrzyńca, the baroque Schielandshuis, which today houses the Historical Museum and the neo-Gothic town hall from the beginning of the 20th century. After World War II, modern districts grew on the ruins of the destroyed Old Town, and boulevards formed on the Meuse were a popular place for walks. Today, the most spectacular buildings of Rotterdam include the futuristic Market Hall, which is to resemble the mythological cornucopia and the Euromast lookout tower, from which you can admire the city panorama. A zoo with a large oceanarium and an underwater fish-watching tunnel is also very popular.
