We went into the city today. My lovely city of Rotterdam. We were planning a stroll around the city centre but due to demonstrations against racisme and covid rules we skipped the city center and went to the Erasmus Brug. The Swan as we call her. The icon of the city and lunch under the bridge. We had a nice spot and the weather was good, not very sunny but a coat wasn’t neccessary.
The Kop van Zuid was originally used as a port site. Port was an important piece of the city for work and transport. I showed the biggest ship in the world in Rotterdam in a blog a week ago that was here aswell. With the shift from the port of Rotterdam to the west, this area was redeveloped in the late 1980s on the basis of a plan by Riek Bakker and Teun Koolhaas. Two important architects in the Netherlands.
An important part of this plan was a new bridge ("Nieuwe Maasbrug") that should open up the Kop van Zuid from the center. Teun Koolhaas' designs already referred to a bridge with one pylon on this picture on the right. The first designs for the bridge were made by Maarten Struijs, architect of municipal works who started designing the future bridge from 1987 onwards. Struijs' final design was a so-called 'four-pole bridge' that would have to cost 325 million guilders (€147 euros). But its a great piece in the city and people love it, there are even marriage photos taken in this Dutch icon.
In the course of 1990, constructor A. Krijgsman of the engineering firm ABT was asked by the Urban Development Department to supervise the design process. He brought in architects Ben van Berkel (UNStudio) and Wim Quist, who also made designs for the bridge. The van Berkel design in particular was well received by Stadsontwikkeling and councilor Joop Linthorst. The Van Berkel bridge would become more expensive than Struijs' design: 365 million guilders (€ 165 euros) However, the bridge had a striking design: a cable-stayed bridge with a single kinked pylon.
The fact that the van Berkel design would look too much like the Alamillo Bridge in Seville, Spain, by the architect Santiago Calatrava. The 284 meter long cable stayed bridge has a 139 meter high kinked asymmetrical steel pylon. This gives the bridge the nickname "De Zwaan". Between the Kop van Zuid and the pylon there is an 89-meter long bascule bridge for ships that cannot pass under the cable-stayed bridge. This bascule bridge is the largest and heaviest bascule bridge in Western Europe.
On September 4, 1996, Queen Beatrix officially opened the new river crossing between Rotterdam-North and South. Two months later it turned out that the bridge deck started to swing unexpectedly at wind force six. This was because raindrops slightly change the profile of the cables and make them more sensitive to wind-induced vibrations. Therefore, new dampers have been fitted to damp the vibrations. At the end of 2007, the bridge was briefly in the news. According to the AIVD, three Rotterdammers had the plan to involve the bridge in an attack on Rotterdam.
Because we at prachtig restaurant under the bridge i could make great photos, all these in the blog are mine made with my phone.
Lovely day in a difficult week.Family is all dear friends and living in a great country and lovely city is such a blessing. And we all need to look at all the good we have, next to all the things we dont need like all the discrimination and hurt. But i pray for better times for all of us. When ever you are in my city go to our beautiful Swan.
The Red Bull Air Race Rotterdam and the World Port Days take place around the bridge. The bridge has also been part of the Marathon Rotterdam route since 1996. It used to cross the Willemsbrug. A special part of the Fast Forward Dance Parade route was the Erasmus Bridge (from 2003 to 2006). Due to the moving crowd, the bridge vibrated violently with the music and this was palpable.
The Erasmus Bridge was part of the route of the prologue of the Tour de France 2010 on Saturday July 3, 2010. The following day, Sunday July 4, the official start of the first stage of the Tour was given on the Erasmus Bridge. Then (outgoing) Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb and Tour director Christian Prudhomme cut the ribbon. On April 5, 2012, the Erasmus Bridge was part of the setting for the Dutch musical biblical event The Passion. This event was broadcast live by the EO and the RKK.
During the weekend of the Rotterdam Pride, which has been held annually in the last week of September since 2014, the Erasmus Bridge is illuminated in rainbow colors. This information is partly from Wikipedia ( https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erasmusbrug )
and all we learned at school when I was syoung. Know your city.
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