Misplaced Pages

#154845

87-514: His father, Henry, was a Rotterdam merchant of Scottish lineage who left for the "new world" after experiencing financial difficulties in the economic bubble of 1720. Though born in Rotterdam, he was considered Scottish because his father and brothers were members of the Scottish Church in Rotterdam . Henry the elder settled near Boston and became a Freemason and merchant. When his son Henry

174-550: A dent in his enormous wealth; in 1782, he purchased Hope Lodge (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania) as a wedding gift for the son of his American cousin, Maria Ellis. Henry is said to have been influenced in his choice of the Neo-Classical style by the Hôtel de Salm in Paris, built in 1782 by Frederick III, Prince of Salm-Kyrburg . At Welgelegen he received many of the important figures of

261-423: A few stages for pop music , like Rotown , Poortgebouw and Annabel. Additionally, the venue WORM focuses on experimental music , as well as various other cultural activities. WORM also screens films and hosts a film lab, Filmwerkplaats . In fact, Rotterdam has an extensive film history, ranging from avant-garde classics, such as The Bridge ( Ivens , 1928), to internationally acclaimed documentaries from

348-511: A good reputation among the people. He gave the villa its current name 'Paviljoen Welgelegen'. Louis Napoleon enjoyed his stay there, but left in a hurry in 1810 when he was forced to abdicate the throne by his brother Napoleon , who felt he was being too 'nice' to his subjects. His brother Napoleon then annexed Holland, making the King function redundant. Three years later after the War of 1812 Welgelegen became

435-505: A large part of Rotterdam's multi-ethnic and multicultural diversity. 52.9% of the population have at least one parent born outside the country. There are 80,000 Muslims, constituting 13% of the population in 2010. The former mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb (2009-2024), is of Moroccan descent and is a practicing Muslim. The city is home to the largest Dutch Antillean community in the Netherlands. The city also has its own China Town at

522-573: A major part in the finances of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) . In the aftermath of the Seven Years' War , Hope & Co. entered the arena of international banking. Henry's first substantial foreign loan was to Adolf Frederick of Sweden in 1767. In the next twenty years, the country was to borrow a total of 15 million guilders. For Spain Hope organised state loans for nine million guilders in

609-561: A population of only a few thousand. Around the year 1350, a shipping canal (the Rotterdamse Schie ) was completed, which provided Rotterdam access to the larger towns in the north, allowing it to become a local trans-shipment centre between the Netherlands, England and Germany , and to urbanize . Beginning in the 1600's, Rotterdam was involved in the Atlantic slave trade . According to historian Gerhard de Kok, "Rotterdam merchants were

696-685: A port of importance, becoming the seat of one of the six "chambers" of the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC), the Dutch East India Company and one of the five "chambers" of the West-Indische Compagnie (WIC), the Dutch West India Company . The greatest spurt of growth, both in port activity and population, followed the completion of the Nieuwe Waterweg in 1872. The city and harbour started to expand on

783-580: 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

870-496: A reminder also for posterity of the courage and strength with which the people of Rotterdam bore all the trials of the war and the important part they took in the liberation of the fatherland.... —Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Rotterdam was gradually rebuilt from the 1950s through to the 1970s. Because the city centre was largely destroyed, new spatial infrastructure could be built, making it an open and modern city. In 1953

957-604: A second time as "John"), in the family business in Amsterdam. Eighteenth-century Amsterdam was the largest port in Europe and the continent's center of commerce and merchant banking . By that time, the Hope brothers were already established as leading merchants in the Netherlands, but when the younger Hopes joined the Amsterdam branch, the name was changed from Hope Brothers (more familiarly, "the Hopes") to Hope & Co. Hope & Co. soon played

SECTION 10

#1732854675155

1044-592: A selective roster of emerging international artists. The Hoboken campus of EUR houses the Dijkzigt (general) hospital, the Sophia Hospital (for children), Daniel den Hoed clinic (cancer institute) and the medical department of the university. They are known collectively as the Erasmus Medical Center . This center is ranked third in Europe by CSIC as a hospital, and is also ranked within top 50 universities of

1131-574: A single conurbation. They share the Rotterdam The Hague Airport and a light rail system called RandstadRail . Consideration is being given to creating an official Metropolitan region Rotterdam The Hague ( Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag ), which would have a combined population approaching 2.5 million. In its turn, the Rijnmond conurbation is part of the southern wing (the Zuidvleugel ) of

1218-565: A temperate oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfb ) similar to all of the coastal areas in the Netherlands. Located near to the coast, its climate is slightly milder than locations further inland. Winters are cool with frequent cold days, while the summers are mild to warm, with occasional hot temperatures. Temperature rises above 30 °C on average 4 days each summer, while (night) temperatures can drop below −5 °C during winter for short periods of time, mostly during periods of sustained easterly (continental) winds. Precipitation

1305-547: A vocational university that teaches music, dance and circus. Unique to the city is the Shipping & Transport College which offers masters, bachelors and vocational diplomas on all levels. Once primarily a city of labour, for its harbour and related industries, Rotterdam has now developed into a city of culture too, with various museums, cultural centres and activities, offering a stage for architecture , music, visuals arts, poetry, cinema, theatre, and culture more generally, with

1392-611: A warehouse on the Amstel, together with his fellow banker friends. They commissioned the design of the Kleine Komedie to the architect Abraham van der Hart who completed the theatre in 1788. In 1785 Henry was involved in the foundings of a nautical college in Amsterdam. In 1786 Adam Smith wrote: In this fourth Edition I have made no alterations of any kind. I now, however, find myself at liberty to acknowledge my very great obligations to Mr. HENRY HOPE of Amsterdam. To that Gentleman I owe

1479-557: A year after the treaty was signed. He and Barings had been working on the deal for almost a decade, and sent young Alexander Baring as their agent to act in America, where he first negotiated a large land deal in Maine , then still a part of Massachusetts . While there, Alexander Baring helped settle a treaty with David Cobb . The deal, completed in February 1796, gave Mr. Baring one-half interest in

1566-564: Is a catalogue (in English!) of all the paintings and prints owned by Henry Hope in December 1795. The museum included three vase galleries filled with Ancient Greek and South Italian vases the Hopes purchased from Sir William Hamilton's second vase collection. The largest land deal that he and Barings entered upon was the issue of shares to finance the Louisiana Purchase in 1804, more than

1653-604: Is a more upscale shopping street, with retailers like Michael Kors , 7 For All Mankind , Calvin Klein , Hugo Boss , Tommy Hilfiger and the Dutch well-known men's clothier Oger . Another upscale shopping venue is a flagship store of department store De Bijenkorf . Located a little more to the east is the Markthal , with lots of small retailers inside. This hall is also one of Rotterdam's famous architectural landmarks. The main shopping venue in

1740-442: Is also home to the regional headquarters of chemical company LyondellBasell , commodities trading company Glencore , pharmaceutical company Pfizer , logistics companies Stolt-Nielsen , electrical equipment company ABB and consumer goods company Procter & Gamble . Furthermore, Rotterdam has the Dutch headquarters of Allianz , Maersk , Petrobras , Samskip , Louis Dreyfus Group , and Aon . The City of Rotterdam makes use of

1827-449: Is generally moderate throughout the year, although spring and summer (particularly before August) are relatively drier and sunnier, while autumn and winter are cloudier with more frequent rain (or snow). The following climate data is from the airport, which is slightly cooler than the city, being surrounded by water canals which make the climate milder and with a higher relative humidity . The city has an urban heat island , especially inside

SECTION 20

#1732854675155

1914-549: Is home to over 180 different nationalities. Rotterdam is known for its university , riverside setting, lively cultural life, maritime heritage and modern architecture . The near-complete destruction of the city centre during the World War II German bombing has resulted in a varied architectural landscape, including skyscrapers designed by architects such as Rem Koolhaas , Piet Blom and Ben van Berkel . The Rhine , Meuse and Scheldt give waterway access into

2001-550: Is part of the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area which, as of 2015, covers an area of 1,130 km , of which 990 km km is land, and has a population of approximately 2,563,197. As of 2019, the municipality itself occupies an area of 325.79 km , 208.80 km of which is land, and is home to 638,751 inhabitants. Its population peaked at 731,564 in 1965, but the dual processes of suburbanization and counterurbanization saw this number steadily decline over

2088-590: The Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam (AFFR). Villa Welgelegen Villa Welgelegen is a historical building in Haarlem , the Netherlands , which currently houses the offices of the provincial executives of North Holland . Located at the north end of a public park in the city, it is an example of neoclassical architecture , designed by Abraham van der Hart and unusual for its style in

2175-528: The Earl of Hopetoun he bought a mansion at the corner of Harley Street / Cavendish Square and started a branch of Hope & Co. Henry became friendly with Francis Baring with whom he entered upon many large land deals with various royal names. In the same way he had done with "Villa Welgelegen" in the Netherlands, Henry Hope opened the mansion as a semi-public museum. In the Amsterdam City Archives there

2262-655: The Lijnbaan was opened, the first car-free shopping street in Europe. The progressive design attracted a lot of international attention, in which film and television played an important role. The new Central Station was completed in 1957, with the Groothandelsgebouw from 1953 next to it. The Euromast was erected in 1960 on the occasion of the Floriade . From the 1980s onwards the city councils began developing an active architectural policy. The harbours were moving westwards and

2349-473: The Louisiana Purchase . On behalf of the French government, Baring and Hope sold US government bonds worth $ 11.25 million in 1804, more than a year after the treaty was signed. It is known as the largest land transaction in history. John Williams Hope sold the villa in 1808 to Napoleon's brother Louis Bonaparte who had just been named King of Holland. Louis, or Ludwig as he called himself, loved Holland and enjoyed

2436-610: The Randstad , which is one of the most important economic and densely populated areas in the north-west of Europe. Having a population of 7.1 million, the Randstad is the sixth-largest urban area in Europe (after Moscow, London, Paris, Istanbul, and the Rhein-Ruhr Area). The Zuidvleugel, situated in the province of South Holland , has a population of around 3 million. Rotterdam experiences

2523-506: The Rotte . In 1340, Rotterdam was granted city rights by William IV, Count of Holland . The Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area , with a population of approximately 2.7 million, is the 10th-largest in the European Union and the most populous in the country. A major logistic and economic centre, Rotterdam is Europe's largest seaport . In 2022, Rotterdam had a population of 655,468 and

2610-677: 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

2697-743: The "Penobscot million" and one-half interest in a third tract of acquired property north of this 1 million-acre (4,000 km) expanse. Baring, to become the first Baron Ashburton , was himself to play a role in both the economic and political history of Maine in general and Down East Maine in particular. Along with Daniel Webster , he negotiated the treaty that resolved the disputes over Maine's northwest boundary (Henry had family in Nova Scotia ). Though he always hoped to return to Welgelegen, Henry died childless in London in 1811, leaving capital of 12 million guilders, an art collection, and several large properties. He

Henry Hope - Misplaced Pages Continue

2784-510: The 1780s, Catherine the Great offered Henry Hope a title, which he declined, feeling advancement to the nobility was incompatible with his position as a working merchant banker. Both Henry and Catherine were leading art collectors, and Henry Hope sometimes acted as an art dealer. Today Henry Hope is best known for his summer home, the Villa Welgelegen . He acquired a large art collection and built

2871-453: The 1780s. Sometimes the loans were Henry Hope's own funds, but usually Henry Hope headed a consortium of English and Dutch investors; Hope & Co. collected a commission that ranged between 5-9%. The firm also specialized in loans to planters in the West Indies, taking payment in kind: sugar, coffee or tobacco, which the Hopes would then sell on the Amsterdam market. In exchange for loans to

2958-441: The 1960s until the 2000s, Rotterdam had a thriving squatters movement , which not only accommodated thousands of people, but also created social centres and cultural venues. From this movement came clubs like Boogjes, Eksit, Nighttown, Vlerk and Waterfront. A major reference is Poortgebouw , which was squatted in 1980 and quickly legalised. Rotterdam also became the home of Gabber , a type of hardcore electronic music popular in

3045-505: The 2009 rankings of Masters of Management, the school reached first place with the CEMS Master in Management and the tenth place with its RSM Master in Management. The university is also home to Europe's largest student association, STAR Study Association Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the world's largest student association, AIESEC , has its international office in

3132-497: The Amsterdam branch. When Jan/John Hope died in 1784, it became especially good for the business to have another person on hand who could sign the name "John Hope". This was also the reason that John Williams Hope stayed behind in Amsterdam during the French occupation when the rest of the family fled to London. When the Pichegru occupied the south Henry fled from Hellevoetsluis on 17 October 1794 and took 372 paintings with him. From

3219-585: The British coordinated espionage in Germany and occupied Belgium. During World War I, an average of 25,000 Belgian refugees lived in the city, as well as hundreds of German deserters and escaped Allied prisoners of war. During World War II , the German army invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940. Adolf Hitler had hoped to conquer the country in just one day, but his forces met unexpectedly fierce resistance. The Dutch army

3306-711: The European continent and overseas. From Rotterdam, goods are transported by ship, river barge, train or road. In 2007, the Betuweroute , a new fast freight railway from Rotterdam to Germany , was completed. Well-known streets in Rotterdam are the Lijnbaan (the first set of pedestrian streets of the country, opened in 1953), the Hoogstraat, the Coolsingel with the city hall, which was renovated between 2018 and 2021 giving cyclists and pedestrians more space, meaning that car traffic

3393-469: The French revolutionary forces, taking most of his art collection with him. He transferred the property to his nephew John Williams Hope who remained behind in Amsterdam to see to the family banking business. John Hope carried on the Hope & co. family business in Amsterdam together with Alexander Baring and Adriaan van der Hoop , young partners in the firm. In 1800 Henry Hope became influential together with his London friend Francis Baring in financing

3480-624: The Haarlem local government to redesign the public park Frederickspark and he persuaded the Heemstede local government to redesign the Haarlemmerhout , both of which adjoined his property. Henry Hope collected many paintings and sculptures and had renowned artisans design the interior. He had many famous visitors to this palace, including William V of Orange , who visited with his wife, Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia , and Thomas Jefferson in 1788. Holland

3567-571: The Jews who were deported via Loods 24 were murdered in Sobibór and Auschwitz-Birkenau . Research in 2000 showed that 144 people survived the deportations. In 2013 the Jewish Children's Monument  [ nl ] was unveiled. In January 1948, Queen Wilhelmina presented the motto 'Sterker door strijd' (Stronger through effort) as part of the coat of arms of Rotterdam to the city government: ...as

Henry Hope - Misplaced Pages Continue

3654-490: The King of Portugal, Hope & Co received an exclusive concession to sell diamonds originating in the Portuguese colony of Brazil. The Hopes would accept the diamonds and sell them on the Amsterdam market; then they used the proceeds to defray the interest and principal of the loans they had made to Portugal. These sales helped to make Amsterdam the leading diamond center of Europe. In 1784 Henry and John Williams Hope purchased

3741-412: The Netherlands. It was built by Henry Hope of the famous family banking company Hope & Co. of Amsterdam, from 1785 to 1789 as a summer home to replace the already quite impressive structure that he purchased there in 1769. From 1769 onwards, Henry Hope purchased more and more adjoining land in order to fulfill the plans he had for a great palace and picture gallery. During the five-year period that

3828-633: 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). From its inland core, Rotterdam reaches the North Sea by a swathe of predominantly harbour area. Built mostly behind dikes, large parts of Rotterdam are below sea level. For instance, the Prins Alexander Polder in

3915-619: The River Rotte ' ) is the second-largest city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam . It is in the province of South Holland , part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta , via the "New Meuse" inland shipping channel, dug to connect to the Meuse at first and now to the Rhine . Rotterdam's history goes back to 1270, when a dam was constructed in

4002-521: The West-Kruiskade, close to Rotterdam Centraal. Religions in Rotterdam (2013) Christianity is the largest religion in Rotterdam, with 36.3% of the population identifying. The second and third largest religions are Islam (13.1%) and Hinduism (3.3%), while about half of the population has no religious affiliation . Since 1795 Rotterdam has hosted the chief congregation of the liberal Protestant brotherhood of Remonstrants . From 1955 it has been

4089-670: The cheap labour segment. The city's unemployment rate is 12%, almost twice the national average. Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe , with the rivers Maas and Rhine providing excellent access to the hinterland upstream reaching to Basel, Switzerland and into France. In 2004 Shanghai took over as the world's busiest container port . In 2006, Rotterdam was the world's seventh largest container port in terms of twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) handled. The port's main activities are petrochemical industries and general cargo handling and transshipment . The harbour functions as an important transit point for bulk materials between

4176-426: The city centre. Rotterdam is diverse, with the demographics differing by neighbourhood. The city centre has a disproportionately high number of single people when compared to other cities, with 70% of the population between the ages of 20 and 40 identifying as single. Those with higher education and higher income live disproportionately in the city centre, as do foreign-born citizens. The municipality of Rotterdam

4263-403: The city's music history is the legendary Kralingen Pop Festival , which took place in Rotterdam in 1970 (featuring, among other, Pink Floyd , Jefferson Airplane , The Byrds , Canned Heat , It's a Beautiful Day , and Santana ). The festival was also made into a film, Stamping Ground (dir. George Sluizer). Alternative (music) culture became prominently present in the city in these days. From

4350-654: The city's past. Other museums include the Tax & Customs Museum , the Netherlands Marine Corps Museum , Rotterdam Public Transport Museum and the Natural History Museum . In 2025 'Fenix, Museum for Migration' will be opened. The first municipal library of Rotterdam was founded in 1604. The current Bibliotheek Rotterdam (Public library), was established in 1869, and is currently the largest cultural organization in Rotterdam, with fifteen branches across

4437-443: The city. The Rotterdam City Archives ( Stadsarchief Rotterdam ) was established in 1857. Here one can find administrative records and sources about the city's historical development. The archival holdings include, among other, general archives, notarial deeds, an audiovisual collection, and a library. Rotterdam has a long tradition of popular music, including the city's Jazz scene before and after WWII. A major historical moment in

SECTION 50

#1732854675155

4524-707: The city. The Willem de Kooning Academy is Rotterdam's main art school, which is part of the Hogeschool Rotterdam. It is regarded as one of the most prestigious art schools in the Netherlands and the number 1 in Advertising and Copywriting. Part of the Willem de Kooning Academy is the Piet Zwart Institute for postgraduate studies and research in Fine Art, Media Design and Retail Design. The Piet Zwart Institute boasts

4611-399: The construction of Rotterdam's second underground line interfered with the Rotte's course, its waters have been pumped through a pipe into the Nieuwe Maas via the Boerengat. Between the summers of 2003 and 2008, an artificial beach was created at the Boompjeskade along the Nieuwe Maas, between the Erasmus Bridge and the Willems Bridge. Swimming was not possible, digging pits was limited to

4698-408: The construction took place, it was the talk of the town. No one had seen such a large summer home. To give an impression of the size compared to his contemporaries, see the map from 1827 showing the size of Welgelegen and its gardens (that go much further south than the map shows) compared to its neighboring summer homes of Amsterdam mayors and bankers. Henry Hope was so influential that he persuaded

4785-464: The day, and, during the summer each year, he was a neighbor of many of them. He knew and received the Americans, Thomas Jefferson , Benjamin Franklin , and John Adams , who came to Europe for trade negotiations. Henry Hope was an Orangist and received William V of Orange whom he knew through his uncle, the elder Thomas Hope. Through their activities as merchants and bankers, Henry Hope and his cousin, Jan Hope, amassed great fortunes. They were among

4872-555: The family of his adopted son John Williams Hope and Harriet's daughter Ann. The painting, by Benjamin West , shows a model of Welgelegen that sits atop a mahogany chest, probably designed by Thomas Hope . The painting hangs in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The museum identifies Ann as Henry Hope's heir. Rotterdam Rotterdam ( / ˈ r ɒ t ər d æ m / ROT -ər-dam , UK also / ˌ r ɒ t ər ˈ d æ m / ROT -ər- DAM ; Dutch: [ˌrɔtərˈdɑm] ; lit.   ' The Dam on

4959-407: The heart of Western Europe, including the highly industrialized Ruhr . The extensive distribution system including rail, roads, and waterways have earned Rotterdam the nicknames "Gateway to Europe" and "Gateway to the World". 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

5046-432: The height of the layer of sand , about 50 cm (20 in). Alternatively, people go to the beach of Hook of Holland (which is a Rotterdam district) or one of the beaches in Zeeland : Renesse or the Zuid Hollandse Eilanden: Ouddorp , Oostvoorne . Rotterdam forms the centre of the Rijnmond conurbation, bordering the conurbation surrounding The Hague to the north-west. The two conurbations are close enough to be

5133-525: The invasion three days earlier. The City Hall survived the bombing. Ossip Zadkine later attempted to capture the event with his statue De Verwoeste Stad ('The Destroyed City'). The statue stands near the Leuvehaven, not far from the Erasmusbrug in the centre of the city, on the north shore of the river Nieuwe Maas. In 1941, 11,000 Jews still lived in Rotterdam. Before the war there were 13,000. Between 30 July 1942, and 22 April 1943, 6,790 people were deported in 8 transports via Loods 24. The vast majority of

5220-428: The last 50 years of architecture in a blender, and spat it out in building-sized chunks across the skyline, you would probably end up with something that looked a bit like Rotterdam". 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');

5307-402: The main centres of the shipping industry in the Netherlands. From the Rotterdam Chamber of the VOC , the world's first multinational, established in 1602, to the merchant shipping leader Royal Nedlloyd established in 1970, with its corporate headquarters located in the landmark building the 'Willemswerf' in 1988. In 1997, Nedlloyd merged with the British shipping industry leader P&O forming

SECTION 60

#1732854675155

5394-443: The mid-1990s, with hard beats and samples. Groups like Neophyte and Rotterdam Terror Corps (RTC) started in Rotterdam, playing at clubs like Parkzicht. In the years 2005–2011, the city struggled with keeping venues for pop music; many of them suffered severe financial problems. This resulted in the disappearance of the major music venues Nighttown and WATT and smaller stages such as Waterfront, Exit, and Heidegger. The city today has

5481-469: The most distinct, as well as liberal information, concerning a very interesting and important subject, the Bank of Amsterdam; of which no printed account had ever appeared to me satisfactory, or even intelligible. The name of that Gentleman is so well known in Europe, the information which comes from him must do so much honour to whoever has been favoured with it, and my vanity is so much interested in making this acknowledgment, that I can no longer refuse myself

5568-667: The next 2 decades, reaching 560,000 by 1985. Although Rotterdam has experienced population growth since then, it has done so at a slower pace than comparable cities in the Netherlands, like Amsterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. Rotterdam consists of 14 submunicipalities: Centrum , Charlois (including Heijplaat), Delfshaven , Feijenoord , Hillegersberg-Schiebroek , Hook of Holland , Hoogvliet , IJsselmonde , Kralingen-Crooswijk , Noord , Overschie , Pernis , and Prins Alexander (the most populous submunicipality with around 85,000 inhabitants). One other area, Rozenburg , does have an official submunicipality status since 18 March 2010. Since

5655-414: The northeast of Rotterdam extends 6 m (20 ft) below sea level, or rather below Normaal Amsterdams Peil (NAP) or 'Amsterdam Ordnance Datum'. The lowest point in the Netherlands (6.76 m (22.2 ft) below NAP) is situated just to the east of Rotterdam, in the municipality of Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel . The Rotte river no longer joins the Nieuwe Maas directly. Since the early 1980s, when

5742-429: The old environment had to be reshaped. Daring and new styles of apartments , office buildings and recreation facilities resulted in a more ' livable ' city centre with a new skyline. In the 1990s, the Kop van Zuid was built on the south bank of the river as a new business centre. Rotterdam was voted 2015 European City of the Year by the Academy of Urbanism. A profile of Rem Koolhaas in The Guardian begins "If you put

5829-470: The pioneers of the Dutch slave trade ". From the 17th century until 1814, when the United Netherlands abolished the Netherland's involvement in the slave trade at the request of the British government , Dutch slave ships from Rotterdam sailed to Africa and the Americas as part of the triangular trade . Rotterdam merchants also sold significant quantities of gunpowder to Zeeland -based slave ships. The port of Rotterdam grew slowly but steadily into

5916-403: The pleasure of prefixing this Advertisement to this new Edition of my Book. Hope & Co also became important for Russia. The most important client of Hope & Co. was Catherine the Great . In addition to a large loans to Russia, Hope & Co. obtained the right to export sugar to Russia, and the firm acted as agents for sales of Russian wheat and timber to countries throughout Europe. During

6003-406: The post-war era, such as Steady! (Van der Horst, 1952), and all kinds of fiction films. Of major importance within this context has also been the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), an annual event that lasts more than ten days (end of January, beginning of February), which has been organized since 1972. Besides the IFFR, several smaller film festivals take place in Rotterdam too, such as

6090-402: The property of the government of the Netherlands. From 1814 to her death in 1828 Princes Wilhelmina of Prussia, who remembered the villa from her marriage, kept the villa as a summer palace and opened it to the public as a museum of modern art. After Wilhelmina died, Welgelegen housed many museums that later moved to Amsterdam or Leiden . In 1885 the "Museum van Levende Nederlandsche Meesters"

6177-424: The richest men in Europe. Jan married the daughter of a Rotterdam mayor and had three sons. Henry never married, but he took in the young clerk John Williams, a Cornishman working at another merchant house in Amsterdam, when he was sick. After he recovered, he went to work for Henry as the daily manager and when he married Henry's sister's daughter in 1782, he changed his name to John Williams Hope and became partner in

6264-581: The seat of the Catholic bishop of Rotterdam when the Rotterdam diocese was split from the Haarlem diocese . Since 2010 the city is home to the largest mosque in the Netherlands, the Essalam Mosque  [ nl ] (capacity 1,500). The municipal council consists of 45 members, the largest party is Livable Rotterdam . The municipal executive consists of mayor Carola Schouten and nine elderman, belonging to four parties. Rotterdam has always been one of

6351-522: The services of semi-government companies Roteb (to take care of sanitation , waste management and assorted services) and the Port of Rotterdam Authority (to maintain the Port of Rotterdam ). Both these companies were once municipal bodies; now they are autonomous entities, owned by the city. Being the largest port and one of the largest cities of the country, Rotterdam attracts many people seeking jobs, especially in

6438-790: The south bank of the river. The Witte Huis or White House skyscraper, inspired by American office buildings and built in 1898 in the French Art Nouveau style , is evidence of Rotterdam's rapid growth and success. When completed, it was the tallest office building in Europe, with a height of 45 m (147.64 ft). During World War I , the city was the world's largest spy centre because of Dutch neutrality and its strategic location between Britain, Germany and German-occupied Belgium. Many spies who were arrested and executed in Britain were led by German secret agents operating from Rotterdam. MI6 had its main European office on de Boompjes. From there

6525-707: The south of Rotterdam is Zuidplein, which lies close to Rotterdam Ahoy , an accommodation centre for shows, exhibitions, sporting events, concerts and congresses. Another prominent shopping centre called Alexandrium lies in the east of Rotterdam. It includes a large kitchen and furniture centre. Rotterdam has one major university, the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), named after one of the city's famous former inhabitants, Desiderius Erasmus . The Woudestein campus houses (among others) Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University . In Financial Times ' 2005 rankings it placed 29th globally and 7th in Europe. In

6612-455: The status of a submunicipality was lifted on 19 March 2014, it became an integral part of the municipality of Rotterdam. The size of the municipality of Rotterdam is the result of the amalgamation of the following former municipalities, some of which were a submunicipality prior to 19 March 2014: In the Netherlands, Rotterdam has the highest percentage of residents with a recent migration background from non-industrialised nations. They form

6699-673: The third largest merchant shipping company in the world. The Anglo-Dutch P&O Nedlloyd was bought by the Danish giant corporation 'AP Moller Maersk ' in 2005 and its Dutch operations are still headquartered in the 'Willemswerf'. Nowadays, well-known companies with headquarters in Rotterdam are consumer goods company Unilever (since 2020 London), asset management firm Robeco , energy company Eneco , dredging company Van Oord , oil company Royal Dutch Shell (since 2021 London ), terminal operator Vopak , commodity trading company Vitol and architecture firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture . It

6786-550: The villa in 1785 to house the collection. The villa, designed by Abraham van der Hart was erected in 1785. Building this summer palace, a five-year project, became a summer attraction in its own right, rivaling the neighboring park, Groenendaal , established in Heemstede by his cousin, partner, and neighbor, Jan (John) Hope. In 1781, Henry started receiving uninvited visitors to view the gardens and expansion process. He ordered statues from Francesco Righetti, an Italian sculptor. The execution of these ambitious plans did not seem to make

6873-466: The world in the field of medicine (clinical, pre-clinical & health, 2017). Three Hogescholen (Universities of applied sciences) exist in Rotterdam. These schools award their students a professional Bachelor's degree and postgraduate or Master's degree . The three Hogescholen are Hogeschool Rotterdam , Hogeschool Inholland and Codarts University for the Arts (Codarts hogeschool voor de kunsten),

6960-517: 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

7047-503: The younger was 13, he sent him to London for schooling, and six years later in 1754 he became apprenticed there to Henry Hoare of the well-known banking firm called Gurnell, Hoare, & Harman . In 1762, he accompanied his only sister, Henrietta Maria (aka Harriet), to Dutch Republic when she married the son of a Rotterdam merchant and business associate, John Goddard. Henry went to work for his uncles, Thomas and Adrian, together with his cousin, Jan Hope (who at 26 opted to be baptized

7134-688: Was European Capital of Culture in 2001. Rotterdam has various cultural institutions. Well-known museums are the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen , Het Nieuwe Instituut , the Wereldmuseum , the Kunsthal , Kunstinstituut Melly and the Maritime Museum Rotterdam . The Historical Museum Rotterdam has changed into Museum Rotterdam , which aims to exhibit the development of Rotterdam as a contemporary transnational city, and not merely

7221-517: Was a generous uncle to his many nieces and nephews in London, Heemstede, and Pennsylvania. On his death, his accumulated wealth was split between the children of his cousin Jan (who inherited Deepdene ), the children of his cousin Maria (who inherited Hope Lodge ), and the children of his sister Harriet (who inherited villa Welgelegen ). Before his death, he commissioned a family portrait with his sister Harriet and

7308-528: Was closed (especially since most of the "levende meesters" or living masters had since deceased), but the "Koloniaal Museum" (1871-1923) and the "Museum voor Kunstnijverheid" (1877-1926) remained open. When the Frans Hals Museum moved to its present location on the Klein Heiligland, the "Fotografisch Museum" (1913-ca.1918) was opened here (now called Spaarnestad Photo ). Unlike Teylers Museum , that

7395-454: Was forced to capitulate on 15 May 1940, following the bombing of Rotterdam on 14 May and the threat of bombing other Dutch cities. The heart of Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed by the Luftwaffe . Some 80,000 civilians were made homeless and 900 were killed; a relatively low number since many had fled the city because of the warfare and bombing going on in Rotterdam since the start of

7482-688: Was reduced from 4 lanes (2 in each direction) to 2 lanes (1 in each direction). Another mainstreet is the Weena , which runs from the Central Station to the Hofplein (square). A modern shopping venue is the Beurstraverse ("Stock Exchange Traverse"), better known by its informal name ' Koopgoot ' ('Buying/Shopping Gutter', after its subterranean position), which crosses the Coolsingel below street level. The Kruiskade

7569-590: Was the first country to recognize the United States as a country in 1782, and attracted many US visitors looking to trade with the wealthy merchants of Amsterdam, that was at that time the financial center of Europe. Before he could complete his vision of expanding the Welgelegen gardens to the Spaarne river, Henry Hope left Welgelegen only 5 years after the main house was completed. In 1794 Henry Hope fled to England before

#154845