Stories

People with fond memories of city life during the post-war period share their story. And people with a special liking for post-war architecture share their fascination.

A nice piece of work

They put their heart and soul into the neighbourhood. Mrs and Mrs van Vuuren originally come from south of the river, but have lived in the centre for years.

Stories

No time to dwell on the past

The Van Zijps lived through the reconstruction of Rotterdam, and also through its bombardment. After the war the built up their lives again quickly.

Stories

An enduring neighbourhood facility at the heart of the city, then and now

Patricia and Anton de Heer from Van der Heyden confectioners on Mariniersweg talk about life in the reconstruction district where they work and have lived together for years. It’s also where Patricia grew up.

Stories

Concrete trucks constantly coming and going. That’s how much building was going on

With her father working as a director at Befaro, the Rotterdam concrete factory, the young Irene Smit listened to tales of reconstruction work at dinnertime in her new apartment.

Stories

Great things endure

Joost Prins and Tjeerd Hendriks explain their plan to restore the architecture of Maaskant’s multi-tenant building and breathe new life into the landmark.

Stories

From village to city

De levendigheid in de stad, daar houdt mevrouw Schipper van. Ze woont in het Potlood, het markante gebouw naast station Blaak.

Stories

Prosthesis pioneers

Dentilia is the oldest business on Hoogstraat and is located between Mariniersweg and Oostplein. The shop has a rich history.

Stories

Getting soaked in front of the Savoy

The Van Wijk brothers talk about the youth in the Hoogkwartier district. They built rafts to use on the big puddles that formed in old bomb craters.

Stories

Living in the ‘pork chop neighbourhood’

Vesa Liukku has lived in Rotterdam for almost fifty years. When he first moved here, he thought Hoogkwartier was a fancy ‘pork chop neighbourhood’.

Stories

A clubhouse with an indoor skate course

Growing up in the Hoogkwartier district was a really great adventure, says Eeva Liukku. For her the service streets were a paradise for playing.

Stories

A home on Hoogstraat, with a shower and everything!

The family of Jan van Dienst lived in a house to be proud of. The service dwelling had a shower and was located on Hoogstraat.

Stories

There are strong ties to the neighbourhood, but not to the stones

Els and Elly are friends and ‘active’ neighbourhood residents. They often visit the neighbourhood centre in the Hoogkwartier district. It’s a closely knit community.

Stories