The beating shopping heart of Rotterdam can be found on the Lijnbaan and the Beurstraverse. The latter is also called the Koopgoot in Rotterdam popularly. Because the Koopgoot is below street level, you can shop undisturbed without being bothered by traffic.
All major national and international retail chains such as Zara, H&M, HEMA and C&A are located here. Shop till you drop is the motto here. The world famous department store De Bijenkorf is also located here. The special building by architect Marcel Breurer was built in 1957 in the Rotterdam shopping area and symbolizes the reconstruction of the city after the Second World War.
You might think that the Bijenkorf building looks a bit grubby, but that is the intention of the architect: because of the way the rain drips over the hexagonal stones, a pattern of soot and dirt has formed on the building.
Why does that tree have its own square?
After the bombing during World War II, the center of the city was completely wiped out. Then the big fires started, so everything that was still standing went up in flames. Except the Plataan at the former Coolsingel hospital. Tree manager: “The tree survived the conflagration and the bombing. When the Lijnbaan - this shopping area - was created, the tree had to disappear. The tree remained due to protest from residents. That is why the line track is not straight ”. And so the tree from 2 saw how Rotterdam was built around itself!
The Lijnbaan was the first car-free shopping zone in the world? Now no one is more aware that you can shop undisturbed without having to check if a car arrives, but at the time of the opening in 1953 it was unique.
Curious about the most 'forgotten' coastal work in Rotterdam? Then go to the sculpture by artist Naum Gabo for De Bijenkorf. Outside of Rotterdam, the artwork is world famous, but ask most residents about it and many will look at you crazy. The brown rusty 'Ding' languished for years in front of the department store on the Coolsingel, while internationally it is regarded as the most important work in Gabo's oeuvre. It was unveiled again in January 2018 after a major restoration, so you can now admire it in its full glory.
