 Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe, the second city and the industrial heart of the Netherlands and the economic, social and cultural centre of the Rijnmond (‘Rhine Estuary’) region. In addition, Rotterdam is a city of modern architecture, events, leisure and recreation. More than one million people from 162 countries live in the Rotterdam region.
Rotterdam was founded in the mid 13th century after a dam had been constructed in the River Rotte on the site of the present Hoogstraat. Rotterdam received municipal rights in 1340. Over the centuries Rotterdam grew from a fishing village into an international centre of trade, transport, industry and distribution. At the beginning of the Second World War, on 14 May 1940, virtually the entire city centre was devastated by a German bombardment. This explains why there are scarcely any pre-war buildings in this part of Rotterdam. After the war, reconstruction of what had been destroyed was given the highest priority. Now, sixty years later, a new, modern city centre has risen from the ashes. The avant-garde architecture is famous at home and abroad.
Rotterdam is the largest port in the world. Being the ''Gateway to Europe'' Rotterdam has a hinterland of 500 million inhabitants. Its international orientation as a port and the regeneration of its city centre have made Rotterdam a business city without parallel. Since the opening of the borders to Eastern Europe, the hinterland has considerably increased in size.
Innumerable trade and distribution companies operate from Rotterdam. All national and most international banks and insurance companies have an office here. Access to the city is excellent thanks to the close vicinity of Rotterdam and Schiphol airports and in a few years. time the city will also be accessible from Paris and London by high speed train (TGV). Rotterdam offers an attractive economic climate for both large and small businesses.
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