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 neighbourhood like a well-oiled machine

Once upon a time Hoogkwartier was a real district for automobiles – an industrial network. Van Geest is one of the last remaining garages.

Stories

It’s like a village back here, so quiet.

Anja Stuiver and Rien Dane feel like real Rotterdam residents, and they’ve seen the the city centre gradually grow in density around them.

Stories

Living in Wereldhaven

Wereldhaven is a remarkable neighbourhood. The former NAI chief guard sees the place, built for young families, as a small village.

Stories

Eight to a balcony

Mr and Mrs de Bruin have been living on Hoogstraat for almost fifty years. There were times when eight of them gathered on the balcony in the evening.

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Department stores as playgrounds

Barry grew up in the city centre. The city was a paradise for playing. Department stores were his playgrounds, and vacant sites were perfect for Sledge rides.

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Stories from the local pub: “absolutely authentic Rotterdam”

Various neighbourhood residents reminisce in a local pub about the Hoogkwartier district. About the bull that ran riot at the Cattle Market.

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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.

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From the ‘rubble’ to the chrome

On the site now occupied by the Market Hall, the sons of Jan van Wingerden used to dig for treasure. The open tracts of city were called ‘the rubble’.

Stories