Maasvlakte 2

Maasvlakte 2 is the latest extension for the Port of Rotterdam. Built on reclaimed land, it's a fully automated container terminal, powered by wind-generated electricity. 

A true engineering marvel!

De Hoge Veluwe National Park

This stunning time-lapse was captured by 22 years old student Rick Kloekke who filmed for a year the change of seasons in Hoge Veluwe National Park.

LoRa van KPN

From Schipol's buggage handling to Rotterdam port's depth sounders and Utrecht's rail switches low-energy and low-data sensors are taking advantage of KPN's IoT LoRa Network.

These sensors generate a massive wealth of data/info that can be used to optimize operations or sense the environment. LoRa started as a pilot in 2015 and went officially live on a national scale this week. 
Milk cows are soon to join the network. Sensors will be sending infologs about their health, performance and whereabouts.

Schiedam

Part of Rotterdam's metropolitan area, the city of Schiedam is the capital of Jeniver (gin) production. Schiedam is how the English and the French call gin. The city was an industrial powerhouse during the 18th and 19th century nicknamed Zwart Nazareth (Black Nazareth) due the smog of surrounding distilleries and glasswork factories. Harr Wiegman created the cartoon character Proosje Van Schiedam in 1975 to mark the 700 years of Schiedam. 

Hugo Grotius

On the left side of Rotterdam's Townhall seats the statue of Hugo Grotius (or Hugo de Groot). Born in Delft, he was a prodigy child that mastered Latin and Greek early at his age. Hugo served as a pensionery (mayor) of Rotterdam in 1613 and he is the founder of International Law.

Dutch courage a.k.a. Jenever

Dutch courage is what English soldiers dubbed the gin-induced bravery they observed on their Dutch peers during the anglo-dutch wars. 
Jenever or Dutch Gin further spread as a spirit of preference after the Dutch Prince William of Orange succesfully invaded England in 1688. This invasion secured the Glorious Revolution and strengthened English parliamentary democracy.

Kralingen Music Festival 1970

Kralingen music festival - held in namesake park of Rotterdam - was Europe's response to Woodstock. It stood out as the first open air multiday festival in Europe. It signaled the beginning of Dutch authorities' tolerance towards soft drugs.

About the Dutch cyclepaths

The unique Dutch cycling culture and Netherland's extensive network of cyclepaths are rooted in the oil crisis of the 70's, a high number of bike accidents and citizens rallying for less motorized cities.

R'dam - Port of 2050

Port of Rotterdam has a goal to become a 100% sustainable port cluster by 2050. On its way to ‘circular port economy’ it will start gradually capturing and streaming CO2 emissions to regional greenhouses (CO2 accelerates plants' growth). The Port is also offering docking discounts to vessels using clean fuels (e.g. LPG). Being a massive oil refinary PoR is planning to swap fossil feedstocks with vegetable products (sugar beets for instance) to further reduce it carbon footprint.

[more >here<]

Amersfoort

Amersfoort is a medieval city famous for its Koopelpoort gate (awarded the Europa Nostra Award in 1992) nicknamed Keistad (boulder-city). 

Legend has it that in 1661 400 people had to drag a 9-tonne boulder from the moors to the city after their landlord lost a bet to another landlord. Since then citizens of Amersfoort have been taunted as Keientrekkers (boulder-draggers). The boulder is nowdays in public display.

Van Nelle Fabriek

Previously a tea, coffee & tobacco factory. Designed by archiect Van der Vlugt with pioneering ergonomics in mind and use of ample natural light for the workers. Famous architect Le Corbusier decribed the factory as "the most beautiful spectacle of the modern age" back in the 30's. Nowdays the factory is renamed Van Nelle Design Factory and hosts businesses in the creative sector.  

A History of the World's Most Liberal City

A book by Russell Shorto about the world's cradle of liberalism and godfather city of New York . Available in Kindle format for 8 euros.

Off-grid neighborhood in Almere

A closed loop community is currently under development by ReGenVillages  in Almere, a town near Amsterdam.  

Food-energy-waste will all be components of a closed recycling loop. The Port of Rotterdam has similar circular economy plans to supply regional greenhouses with its CO2 emissions (CO2 helps crops grow faster).  

[more >here<]

Loving Vincent

It took 100 artists to hand paint this movie for Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. It's the world's first painted animation feature. The movie was "painted" in Gdansk (PL).

To be released this year.

Rotown - Sterker door strijd

Nicknamed "Gateway to Europe", Rotown and Roffa, Rotterdam is a spacious, WYSIWYG city with no small print. Hosting a wealth of cultures, built by down to earth and hard working people R'dam is in constant motion. Dutch poet Jules Deelder -dubbed night 'mayor of Rotterdam'- described it with the following words:

Rotterdam is geen illusie door de camera gewekt 
Rotterdam is niet te filmen
Rotterdam is veels te echt

Rotterdam is no illusion created by the camera
Rotterdam cannot be filmed
Rotterdam is way too real

75 jaar

This 3-D animation clip showcases Rotterdam's reconstruction progress over the years, starting from 1940's catastrophic blitz.

Houen zo!

This year Rotterdam celebrates its '75 years of Reconstruction'.

Dutch director Van der Horst supported by Marshall Plan funds filmed this documentary in 1952 to capture the efforts of Rotterdamers rebuilding their city. 

Houen zo! 'keep it that way' as the tug pilot shouts in the middle of this short 20 mins film.

Rangaku

In 17th century Japan entered a period of isolation called sakoku. For two-and-a-half centuries, Dutch traders in Nagasaki were granted the exclusive right of importing the marvels of Europian industrial and scientific revolution into the isolated empire.

Rangaku eventually became a Western-culture supporting movement, sowing the seeds of modernization in Japanese society.