Katendrecht has been a port area of Rotterdam for
centuries. It was a rough place that most
proper citizens would avoid.
Besides the many commercial businesses associated with the marine industry,
it was also the red light district. Before
WWII it had the largest Chinese community in Europe known for their opium
dens and gambling houses.
Katendrecht is a peninsula on the south side of the
Nieuwe Maas River. There is now a
walking bridge from the Hotel New York in the Kop Van Zuid peninsula to
Katendrecht. There are numerous water taxis that provide transportation
around the port. Anneke and her
friend walked the bridge to see Hotel New York which was originally the home
office of the Holland America Line. The
unofficial name is "Hoerenloper" which loosely translates to Whoremonger
bridge.
Today, with the port having moved out towards
the North Sea, Katendrecht has been transformed into a family residential
area. Seaman bars have turned into specialty
restaurants. Houses of ill repute are
now regular houses still with the viewing window in evidence.
It is turning into a trendy hot spot.
The SS Rotterdam is permanently docked in Katendrecht
as a hotel/ restaurant/museum. Entrance
is free but for a fee you can have a tour.
Its Royal Inauguration was in 1958, which Anneke attended from a
distance. The pool deck cafe has a great view. For maritime buffs,
it is a must see.
10 comments:
You are not the only photographer in the family!
It's so true that Rotterdam has been a port for centuries. My ancestors sailed from Rotterdam to the New World many, many years ago!
So nice to spend time with an old friend. Love the name of the bridge!! Thanks for the pictures.
Is that historic photo at the end of the post "Anneke" attending the Royal Inauguration from a distance?
Always someplace to see that makes our list grow longer. The beauty surrounding the area as well as the history add to the mystique.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
A stately old ship that SS Rotterdam and a real piece of grand history!
From red light to trendy. Love learning the history of places like that.
Nice to see the SS Rotterdam preserved as a museum and open for tours. Hopefully the same can be done for the liner United States, it would be a shame to see her broken up.
Any city with a port has seamen, which leads to a red light district. They may have cleaned it up, but it probably just moved someplace else. It certainly looks like a beautiful place now.
Enjoyed reading about some of the history of where you are visiting. It wss a very interesting post.
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