Kop van Zuid
Kop van Zuid is located opposite to the center of Rotterdam. The Erasmus Bridge, Willemsbrug and the metro open up the north bank, making the district an important link between ‘North’ and ‘South’. Laan op Zuid and Posthumalaan are the main traffic arteries of Kop van Zuid. In the east of the district is the Entrepot area with many shops, restaurants and facilities. In the district there is a lot of new construction, including many high-rise buildings. In addition, there are also some monumental buildings, some almost a century and a half old. Those who love architecture look out on this peninsula. The most famous architects in the world put buildings here. Álvaro Siza, Renzo Piano, Francine Houben, Norman Foster and also ‘our own’ Rem Koolhaas from Rotterdam. His ‘De Rotterdam’ is the most eye-catching.
History:
Among all the shiny high-rise buildings, a number of buildings remind us of the time when many Europeans departed from this place by steam ship to America. Like the Cruise Terminal, where now the most majestic cruise ships dock. And the famous Hotel New York, where sturdy ship elements still remind you of all those emigrants. Kop van Zuid was an unused port area until the mid-1990s. With the construction of Laan op Zuid and new construction, the connection between the Center and Rotterdam South was improved. Thanks to developments on Wilhelminapier, this section is now often seen as an extension of the Center. This makes the construction of the Erasmus Bridge one of the most important physical developments in Rotterdam over the past decades.
Residents of the Kop van Zuid:
Kop van Zuid has about 7,600 inhabitants. Income and education levels are generally relatively high, especially in comparison with the surrounding neighborhoods. The district has many highly educated two-income households without children. The more luxurious residential towers such as Montevideo, New Orleans and the Rotterdam attract many expats. In addition, the neighborhood is popular among well-known football players, including those of Feyenoord.
What is there to do?
Both a number of old warehouses and new towers now offer space for cultural institutions and restaurants. With the arrival of the Nederlands Fotomuseum, cinema and jazz stage LantarenVenster, the Foodhallen opened in 2018 and the Luxor Theater, the Kop van Zuid has become a real cultural hotspot and will only increase in popularity in the coming years. Marina City Marina Rotterdam is located at the Kop van Zuid. Children’s museum Villa Zebra is located on the Stieltjesstraat. The tax office, courthouse and a well known university for applied sciences called, “INHolland” are located in this area.