Tue 19 June
1000 years of Rotterdam
Exhibition on the history of the city. Indefinitely on view from June 19, 2012.
Rotterdam may look like a thoroughly modern city, but in addition to a young heart, Rotterdam has an old soul. The new exhibition 1000 YEARS OF ROTTERDAM takes the visitor through the history of the city from a settlement at the Rotte river to the metropolis on the River Meuse.
Exhibition on the history of the city Indefinitely on view from June 19, 2012
Rotterdam may look like a thoroughly modern city, but in addition to its young heart Rotterdam has an old soul. Museum Rotterdam’s new exhibition 1000 years of Rotterdam shows Rotterdam’s growth spurts, exemplified in the Schielandshuis, a venerable palace set amid the skyscrapers. The visitor follows the history of the town along the ever-present water, from the settlement along the Rotte to the metropolis on the Maas. Sixteen Prominent Rotterdammers show how individual residents, from Wolfert van Borselen to Pim Fortuyn, have left their mark on Rotterdam.
Big changes Rotterdam has undergone major changes in recent centuries. The city has grown by enterprise and prosperity, but has also been marked by setbacks and outright disasters. 1000 years of Rotterdam takes the visitor through ten turning points in the history of the city. The water, lifeline of the port city, is the consistent element in the exhibition.
Ten turning points Rotterdam’s ten turning points are brought back to life via old maps, classical and modern art, models, and significant historical objects. The changes have come in quick succession - particularly in the last two centuries, as Rotterdam has grown into a metropolis. The Dam City, Water City, Transit City, Modern City, Destroyed City, Reconstruction City, Neighbourhood City, Sanitation City, Divided City, and Skyline City will come to life again. A special film created for the exhibition takes the viewer down a cascade of images through 1000 years of Rotterdam’s history.
Prominent Rotterdammers Along with the city, its residents are also featured. Sixteen Prominent Rotterdammers give the visitor a glimpse into their lives, and into the Rotterdam of their time. Large portraits, objects, and films show how these remarkable people left their marks on the city. Warlords such as Wolfert van Borselen and Jonker Frans; politicians such as Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Suze Groeneweg, and Pim Fortuyn; artists and musicians such as Adriaen van der Werff and Jaap Valkhoff; poets and writers like Hendrik Tollens and Anna Blaman; visionary entrepreneurs and risk-takers such as Anthony van Hoboken, Lodewijk Pincoffs, Abram Tuschinski, and Kees van der Leeuw; folk heroes such as Kaat Mossel and Djunga de Biluca; and of course the city icon and scholar Erasmus of Rotterdam.
