the rotterdam city hall · to right, sculpted by prof a.w.m. odé). above the statues, the heads of...

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Highlights of the Rotterdam City Hall The Rotterdam City Hall

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Highlights of the Rotterdam City Hall

The Rotterdam City Hall

Entrance doorsThe city hall entrance doors are made of wood covered with bronzen plates.

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Contents History 5 Outside walls 9 Faҫade 10JohanvanOldenbarnevelt 16HugodeGroot 17NorthernSideatDoelwater 19Easternsideatraam 20SouthernsideatStadhuisstraat 20Courtyard 21Great Hall 23 Weddingrooms 27Grand staircase 28 First-class wedding hall 29 Citizens’hallroom111 31ExecutiveChamberroom105 34Antechamber mayor 35 Waitingroommayor 36Galleries 38 CounsilChamberroom109 39Galleries(continued) 42Balustrade 44Landing 46Entrancehall 46RotterdamofJansPrins 48MayorsofRotterdam(sincethecontructionofthecityhall) 50Colophon 50

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< Names of the donors

Laying of the first stone >Thefirststonewaslaidon15July1915

by Her Majesty Queen Wilhelmina.

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In1909,thethenmunicipalcouncildecidedto build a new city hall and a new post office. A new city hall was sorely needed because the old one did not offer enough room for all civilservants,forcingmanyofthemtoworkat inadequate locations throughout the city. The decision was made to build the new cityhallatitscurrentlocationatCoolsingel,which was then called ‘the polder’ because of

its ‘red-lightdistrict’-a‘somewhatdark’areaofthecity.This entire area had to be demolished to makewayforthenewcityhall.Themunicipalcouncil hoped that this would also solve the local nuisance problem.KoosSpeenhoffcomposedasong,thelastverse of which referred to this eviction. It translates as:

‘HeyRooie,youwillbeshockedWhenyouhavesailedhome,You will find and see That you no longer recognize the polder. The whole shebang is being demolished The masters are having their way The girls must vacate the premises The mayor is moving in.’

ByAugust1913,thedemolitionofthisarea(hometoapproximately2,400residents)wascomplete.

Design The city hall was designed by Prof Henri Evers,architectandprofessorattheUniversity of Delft. His design was one of the five designs in a closed competition held by the municipal council. The Rotterdam municipal council wanted the building to be ‘old-fashioned’. That is why Prof Evers’ design in a Beaux-Arts style was chosen over some more modern designs.TheconstructionwasheadedbyA.J.Th.Kok,anarchitectworkingfortheRotterdamLocalPublicWorksAuthority.Thefirstfoundationpilewasputintothegroundon12August1914.Thefirststonewaslaidon15July1915byHerMajestyQueenWilhelmina.On15June1918,theconstructionofthecity hall had progressed such that the first department (the Housing Service) could relocate to Coolsingel.

History

Prof. Henri Evers The city hall was designed by Prof. Henri Evers.

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Fiveyearslater,on10August1920,thecityhall was completed and the first meeting of the Municipal Executive was held in the buildingon17August1920.On1September1920,MayorZimmermanheldaspeechandopened the first municipal council meeting in the new Council Chamber.

Duringtheconstruction,anumberofmunicipalities,regionalandnationalauthorities and many prominent Rotterdam companies,associationsandfamiliesdonated almost all elements of the interior

and internal and external decorativeincluding rare marbles from Italy. Volume ofthecityhall:168,250cubicmetres.Totalcosts:NLG2,850,000.elements of the city hall (a detailed list of this is available).

Thestainedglasswindows,banks,mosaics,façadesculpturesandsuchlikewereincorporated during the construction and theothergifts,suchaspaintings,statues,candelabras,chandeliersetc.wereinstalledimmediately after completion of the building.

The following materials were used for the cityhall:1,500,000kilogramsofiron,15,375cubicmetresofconcrete,8,336woodenpiles,3,500cubicmetresofnaturalstone,

Restauratie Restoration A large project involving the restoration of thecityhallstartedinSeptember2000.The purpose of this restoration project was to preserve the historical splendour of the building for the future and to update the building to today’s standards and requirements,takingitsmonumentalstatusinto account (the building has been a nationallylistedbuildingsinceApril2000).The restoration of the exterior focused on:• theinspection,cleaningandrepairofthe

outside walls and tower; the war damage was not repaired in view of its historical nature;

• repairworkontheroofs,glassroofcovers,guttersandrainwaterpipes,usingoriginalmaterials;

• repairworkonthewindows,doors,framesandfencing,allofwhichwerepaintedintheir original colours.

• cleaningoftheoutsidewalls,towerandcourtyard (sandstone and tuff stone) using laser techniques which do not affect the natural protective layer of the sandstone andtuffstone,unliketraditionalcleaningtechniques.

Public affairs The room where the municipal service centre is located was restored to its original form.

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Themaintenanceworkperformedontheinterior focused on: • installationtechnology(heating,cooling

and ventilation); • sanitaryfittings(toiletgroups,sewerage);• electrical installations (emergency power system,electricalenergysupply);

• lift technology (lift for handicapped persons near the entrance of the Public Affairs department).

Improved accessibility In2005,twoprojectswerelaunchedtoimprove accessibility to the city hall for visitors. The first project focused on the refurbishmentoftherearsection,wherethePublic Affairs department is located. The room was made more calming and restored toitsoriginalform.Moreover,cabinswereinstalled for privacy-sensitive matters. The roomwasfirstusedinearly2006.Thesecond project was launched to improve accessibility to the city hall for handicapped persons.Forthispurpose,twoliftswereinstalledinthebuilding,providingaccesstoallfloorswithinthecityhall,includingthetopfloor: a complex procedure in a historicalbuilding. The restoration of the city hall was completedattheendof2008.Themunicipal

officeatRodezandwasdemolished,tobereplaced by new premises (the ‘Timmerhuis’) in2015.

Thatiswhythestaffrestaurantandkitchenfacilities were relocated to the front side of the city hall’s top floor. The top floor on the side of Stadhuisstraat and Doelwater were transformed into a meeting room. Separate meeting units were built in the attic. Office units with flexspaces for staff are located on the second and third floors of the city hall.

Office units New office units for city hall staff.

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Outside wallsGround pattern The ground pattern of the city hall is a rectanglewithafrontandrearsection,connected by small wings. The wings have gates that give access to a courtyard.

Thecomplexhasfivefloors:agroundfloor,afirst,secondandthirdfloorandatopfloor.The tower is situated above the centre of the front building and is crowned with a golden Angel of Peace. The tower including the sculpturehasaheightof75metres.Themiddle section of this front building includes themainentranceand,onthefirstfloor,theCitizens’Hall,theofficialreceptionroomof the municipality. The front side of the

Citizens’ Hall has a balcony that offers a view of Coolsingel and Stadhuisplein.

Thecityhallhasan86-metre-longfaçadeatCoolsingel,106-metre-longsidewalls,aheight of 32 metres and a tower height of 71.5metres.Thecityhall,theformerpostoffice,theHollandBankingUnionbuildingandtheformerBijenkorfdepartmentstoreare the only buildings at Coolsingel that withstoodthebombingof14May1940.

Start

This visit to a portion of the city hall startsatCoolsingel,withadescriptionofthefaçade.Afterthat,alloutdoorwalls,thecourtyard,thecentralhall,theweddingrooms,Citizens’Hall,theExecutive Chamber and the Council Chamber are described.

FaçadeThecityhall’s86-metre-longfaçade.

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Façade

< St. Lawrence Church The reconstruction of the St Lawrence Churchafterthebombingof14May1940.Thecityhall,postofficeandBijenkorfdepartmentstoresurvivedtheattack.

Entrance > Theentrancedoors,donatedbythe

Chabot family.

Thestyleofthebuildingis‘Beaux-Arts’,late nineteenth-century architecture that combines styles from various periods. The functional,modernstructureiscoveredwith decorations containing references to thepast,withoutbeingexactcopies.Thebuildings have clear sections and regular floorplans.TheRotterdamcityhallis,besidesthePeacePalaceinTheHague,one of the few Beaux-Arts buildings in the

Netherlands.The façade has a classical composition. This is expressed by its symmetry: the left and right sections of the façade are mirror imagesofeachother,thecornersectionsand middle section slightly protruding. Other Renaissance characteristics include the crow-stepped gable above the entrance section and the cupolas. The façade is madeofsandstone,atypeofstonethatcan

be modelled easily. The façade’s sculpture mostly represents the city’s glorious historyand the virtuousness of its administration.

The original façade design included three small balconies. After a comment from QueenWilhelmina,theywerechangedintoonelargebalcony.Underthebalcony,the Shipping Industry - the industry that contributed the most to the city’s

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FaçadeStatues above the balcony

development - is highlighted by four sitting figures (sculptor A. Leeflang). They represent the development of the shipping industry: the Shipwright,theSailmaker,theSteamWorkerandtheSteamWorkerandtheElectrician(from left to right).

AgiftfromtheChabotfamily,theentrancedoors to the city hall are made of wood covered with bronze plates. Each door depicts four sea devils; the handles show the municipalarms.Leftandrightofthestairs,abovethetwogroundfloorwindows,therearebas-reliefs:theGatekeeper(representingvigilance) on the left and the Taxman (representing taxation) on the right. They were made by sculptor S. Miedema. The letters U.P.N.O. near the Taxman are short for:UltraPosseNemoObligatur,meaning‘No one is obligated beyond what he is able todo’.Nearthegatekeeper’swindowandfurthertotheleft,youcanseemanybulletholes,areminderofthebattleofRotterdaminMay1940.Thesubtropicalphoenixpalmsleft and right of the city hall’s entrance are only here during the summer. During the winter,theyarecaredforinthegreenhouses

of the Municipal Nursery Garden in the Kralingen district.

The statues directly above the balcony represent‘governmentvirtues’:Enterprise,Policy,ReliabilityandPerseverance(fromlefttoright,sculptedbyProfA.W.M.Odé).Abovethestatues,theheadsofthreehistoricalpersonsweresculpted(byE.vanderTuuk),each of whom have been important for the development of various areas of cultural life in Rotterdam: • JohannesvanderVeeken,thedirectorof

the Dutch East India Company (around 1600)activeinTradeandShipping;

•Erasmus,ahumanistandthemostprominent intellectual of his age (around 1500)inScience;

•PieterdeHooch,anartistwhoworkedinRotterdamforalongtime(around1650)inthe Arts.

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Betweenthesesculptures,theemblemsofthese cultural areas are depicted: Mercatura and Ars Scientia. Below the cornices of the façadeandsidewalls,thebuildingtradesareshown by heads in medallions (sculpted by L.P.M.Wensing).Thecrow-steppedgable,abovethesittingPatroness,displaysthefollowing words: S(enatus) P(opulus) Q(ue) R(oterodamus). Aedificari Coeptum A(nno) D(omini) MIMXIV. Perfectum Ao Di MIMXX. Translated: The Municipal Administration and Citizenry of Rotterdam. The construction startedinAD1914andwascompletedinAD1920.

You can see the Municipal Arms above these words (sculpted by S. Miedema). It also shows the arms of the six municipalities thatwereaddedtoRotterdam:Charlois,Delfshaven,‘s-Gravesande(HoekvanHolland,whichwasaddedtoRotterdam,usedtobepartofthismunicipality)Cool,Kralingen and Katendrecht. At the bottom leftistheProvincialArms,whichisheldbytwo figures with emblems of Horticulture and Cattle Breeding; to the right is the Arms of theKingdom,withemblemsofTradeandShipping. The gable is crowned by a bronzegenius holding a torch (sculpted by Toon

Dupuis),asasymbolofprogressanddevelopment. In the left part of the middle section,thetympanaofthethreelargewindows (first-class Wedding Hall) symbolize marriage.Ayoungman,Fortitudo(Strength),isdepictedabovetheleftwindow,ayoungwomanwithchild,Maternitas(Motherhood),isdepictedabovetherightwindow,whileabovethewindowinthemiddle,themarriagealtar with the inscription Mutua Fides (Mutual trust) shows the mutual bond.

Progress >Bronze genius holding a torch as a

symbol of progress.

< Angel of peaceLightningoftenstrikesthegoldenAngelofPeace,butitremainsunharmed because the lightning rods are very effective.

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Behindthecrow-steppedgable,youcanseethe flag tower which is covered in copper. This tower is crowned by the golden Angel of Peace (sculpted by Joh. Keller). The statue is3.5metreshigh,rising75metresabovetheground.A1916municipalexplanatorymemorandum states the reason for choosing an angel: ‘A figure of peace reminding of thepeacewhichbekeptfortheNetherlandsinthistimeofwarthankstoGovernmentpolicy’.Asubcommitteenotedthat,in1916,people were hoping that peace would be restored on earth at the opening of the city hall,‘whichiswhywerecommendanangel’.The angel was a gift from Mr and Mrs W. Rueb. Rueb was a manufacturer who lived atMauritsweg65around1916.In1979,the statue was dramatically restored and covered with a new layer of gold through a complicated procedure. Seventy ‘double tower’goldleafbooklets(10x10cm)wereusedforthispurpose.Lightningoftenstrikestheangel,butitremainsunharmedbecausethe lightning rods are very effective.

Patroness of RotterdamIn the niche of the gable (sculpted by T. Dupuis).

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CarillonThe bell tower houses the carillon. The original carillon was donated by Mr P.J. van Ommeren and Mr Phs. van Ommeren Jr andwasfirstplayedon1January1921.Ithadforty-eightbells,withatotalweightof27,000kilograms.Inthesummerof1943,this carillon was transported by the occupiers to Germany and was never found again. The current carillon is a gift from the municipal staff and the heirs of Messrs Van Ommeren andwasinstalledon27August1948.Itwasfounded by Petit & Fritsen bell foundry in Aarle Rixtel. The three largest bells bear the inscriptions‘Prosperity’,‘Labour’and‘Peace’.The Peace bell is the heaviest bell.

The city hall’s carillon is one of the largest in theNetherlands.ButalsoinEurope,itisoneofthebiggestofitskind.Twiceaweek,onTuesdaysandFridays,thebeautifulsoundsof this powerful instrument can be heard. The carillon is then played by city carilloneurs GeertBierlingorRicharddeWaardt.In1996,the carillon was thoroughly restored; the repairworktookfourmonths.Notonlywas

Carillon Twiceaweek,onTuesdaysandFridays(eveningopening),thebeautiful sounds of this powerful instrument can be heard.

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thecarilloncleanedandtuned,twoextrabells were added as well. The total number of bells is now sixty-three. The carillon also got a computerized mechanism. This mechanism allows for the carillon to be played when the city carilloneur is not playing the clavier. The carilloneur can program a certain song in order for it to be played at a later time. This isusuallydoneonspecialoccasions,forexample at Christmas.

Totherightofthebalcony,abovethethreelarge windows of the meeting room of the MunicipalExecutive,youcanseetheheadsof Salomon and Pericles. Salomon was the kingofIsraelinthetenthcenturyBCandwasrenowned for his wisdom and international trade acumen. Pericles was a famous Athenian statesman from the fifth century BC,andalsoafamousoratorandgeneral.He wanted to turn the state into the purest possibledemocracy.Betweentheheads,thereisarepresentationofthelaw,bearingthetext‘Servilegissimus,whichmeans:Itisunwise to be a slave to the law.

Carillon The Peace bell is the heaviest bell.

The following persons were city carilloneurs:

• FerdinandTimmermans,from1924to1956;

• Leen’tHart,from1957to1975;

• CorDon,from1975to1978;

• AddiedeJong,from1978to1997;

• GerarddeWaardt,from1978to2014;

• GeertBierlink,from1997tonu;

• RicharddeWaardt,from2013tonu.

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Johan van OldenbarneveltThe right corner pavilion contains the bronze statueofJohanvanOldenbarnevelt,madebysculptorsCh.vanWijkandProfA.W.M.Odé.VanOldenbarnevelt(1547-1619)was the scion of a family of regents and a statesman.HestudiedinLeuven,Cologneand Heidelberg and established himself as alawyerinTheHaguein1570.After1572(theCaptureofBrielle),hejoinedtherevoltagainst the Beggars (‘Geuzen’). Together withWilliamofOrange,hetriedtopreventa dictatorship of Beggars and to bring the familiesofregentsbacktopower.In1576,he was appointed councillor pensionary of Rotterdam. A pensionary was lawyer of the city,secretaryatmeetingsandrepresentativeof the County Council.

Oldenbarnevelt exerted considerable influence due to the permanent nature of hisoffice.Heheldthisofficeuntil1586,when he became councillor pensionary of Holland and West Friesland. He prevented the stadtholdership from becoming a position

held by monarchs and managed to reach the Twelve Years’ Truce (against the will of Prince Maurits). After a serious church conflict in which Prince Maurits sided with VanOldenbarnevelt’sopponents,VanOldenbarnevelt was brought before a special court,sentencedtodeathandbeheaded.Onbothsidesofthestatue,youcanseetheMunicipal Arms and the Van Oldenbarnevelt family coat of arms.

Below the bay window of the Mayor’s Chamber(abovethestatue),youcanseethe quote ‘Sera parsimonia in fundo’ (It is too late to spare when you reach the dregs of thecask).Eaglescanbefoundonthecornerpillars of this chamber. The sitting figure of ‘Justice’(sculptedbyProfOdé),holdingtheLaw(Lex),fillsthenicheabovetheroofofthe

Bronze statueJohan van Oldenbarnevelt.

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baywindow,containingthewords‘Lex dura sed lex’ (The law is harsh but it is the law).

On the pillars of the side balcony of the Mayor’sChamber(atStadhuisstraat),thetwo figures represent ‘Policy and Devotion’ (sculpted by E. Jacobs). The figures were inspired by the two parables in Matthew 25: ‘The Wise Virgin’ and ‘The Loyal Servant’. Abovethewindow,thereisthesaying‘Sciamommia angusta esse mensus Deum’ (May I beawarethateverythingissmall,measuredby the standard of God). The two small figures (by A. Leeflang) below the balcony represent spiritual and material interests. Below the window of the former chamber oftheAldermanResponsibleforFinance,a small sculpture refers to his position. Between the city hall and the former post office,youcanseetheexitsoftheventilationsystem of the nuclear fallout shelters that were built between these two buildings.

Hugo de GrootThewalkstartsattheleft(northern)cornerpavilion,whereabronzestatueofHugoGrotius,theLatinnameofHugodeGroot(1583-1645),wasplacedin1970.ItwascreatedbyartistAukeHettema.Inthesixteenthcentury,itwascommonpracticetotranslate names into Latin. Hugo Grotius was alegalscholar,statesmananddiplomat.Hegrew up as a scientific prodigy and became a lawyerattheageof16.

In1607,hewasappointedprocuratorgeneraloftheHighCourtofHolland,andpensionaryofRotterdamin1613.Hewasthefirstpersonto have codified maritime law (laid down in acode).Indoingso,heassumed‘thatthehigh seas were not subordinate to anyone’. Tothisday,hisviewservesasaguidelineformodern maritime law. He was a supporter of the Remonstrants and of Van Oldenbarnevelt. He was imprisoned in Loevestein Castle in 1618.In1621,heescapedthecastleinabookchestandtookupresidenceinParis,wherehewrote,amongotherthings,De iure belli ac pacis(OntheLawofWarandPeace,1625).HeactedasaSwedishenvoyinFrancefrom1634-1644.HugodeGrootwasthe founder of International Law.

Ontheleftsideofthepedestal,youcanreadthe words ‘Dat men voor al de waerheyd hebbe en de behoude: want sonder de waerheyd en is het geen vrede en is het geen liefde’. [May one forever have and keep the truth: because without the truth, there

Ventilation Between the

city hall and the former Postal

Office,youcansee the exits of

the ventilation system of the

nuclear fallout shelters.

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is neither peace nor love]. The right side says ‘Omnia fort Batavis coelum aut mare: quicquid in orbe est huc venit, Hollandum nomen ubique patet’ (The Batavians bear everything from heaven or from the sea: whatevertheworldoffers,itisbroughthere,forHollandisknownallovertheworld.The bronze statue is a worthy counterpart of (forms a pair with) the statue of Johan van Oldenbarnevelt,whichisinfrontoftherightcorner pavilion. Both pensionaries served the city during a time when Rotterdam started to flourish as a port. In the corner pavilion behindHugodeGroot,twolargefiguresrepresent the virtues that should be typical of administration; Tolerance and Independence (sculptedbyJ.Keller).Abovethewindow,are the words ‘In legibus libertas’ (Liberty in the law). The small figures below the balcony represent the development of the Police Force. Poor Relief is commemorated by a small sculpture below the ground floor window,representing‘Benevolenceonthebasis of the law’.voorstellende ‘Weldadigheid op de grondslag van der wet’.

Bronze statueHugo de groot.

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High above the window of the northern corner pavilion are the words ‘Quid leges sine moribus et fides sine operibus’ (What are laws without good behaviour and trust without engagement). The two figures next to the window again represent virtues that shouldbetypicalofadministration,inthiscase ‘Vigilance’ and ‘Diligence’ (sculpted by A.Hesselink).

Belowthegroundfloorwindow,thereisa sculpture of a pelican with a nest of its young,arepresentationreferringagaintoPoorRelief.Onthesidewalls,thefiguralsculptures are limited to the entrances. Abovetheentrancetothecourtyard,youcan see the Municipal Arms. If you continue walkingalongthesidewallandbetweenthe doors of the former entrance to the Civil Registry/Population/Educationetc.,youcan see a boy representing ‘Compulsory Education’.

The image above the boy is one of the series of building trades (sculpted by L.P.M.Wensing),withthe Municipal Arms above it.

< Compulsory education Between the doors of the former entrancetotheCivilRegistry,aboyisdepicted,whorepresents‘CompulsoryEducation’.

Pelican >The pelican with a nest of its young

refers to Poor Relief.

Northern side at Doelwater

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Eastern side at Raam, RodezandYou are now rounding the corner and walkingbelowtheoldfootbridgeconnectingthe city hall with the police station. This street is called Raam. On the roof above thesuppliers’entrances,acockisdepictedabovetheMunicipalArms.Furtheron,the attic windows contain several figural representations relating to the (former) ‘Population’and‘CivilRegistry’departments,now the Rotterdam Public Affairs department.

Between the doors of the former second entrance to the Rotterdam Public Affairs department,thereisastatueofaboywearingacapeandhourglass,representing‘Time’ (sculpted by F.E. Jeltesma). The head above it is one of the series of building trades. Below the balcony above the entrancetotheformerpolicepost,thefourheads represent the development in

Southern side at Stadhuisstraat

InthebedatRaamplein,themonumentwillreturn after completion of the Timmerhuis. This monument (by M. Ficheroux) is in the shape of anLPrecord,inmemoryofRotterdamsingerandcabaretperformerLouisDavids(1883-1939).Davidswasbornhere,atZandstraat,one of the streets of the ‘red-light’ district which hadtomakewayfortheconstructionofthecityhall.

the police system. From left to right the night watch,thepolicewithhandcuffs,thepolicein the twentieth century and the port police. Belowtheporch,youcansee‘theholyHermandad’ to the right and the ‘Medusa head’ to the left (sculpted by A. Leeflang). Abovethepassagewaytothecourtyard,there is a figure representing ‘Duty’ (sculpted by J. Keller).

Raamplein InmemoryofLouisDavids(1883-1939).

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CourtyardYou are now entering the gate to the courtyard. On the wall immediately to theright,youcanseeabronzeplaquetterepresentingMariadelaQueillerie,wifeofJanvanRiebeeck(colonialpioneer,1619-1677),inmemoryofthelandingatCapeinSouthAfricaon6April1652.ThisplaquettewasunveiledinApril1952.Abovethe entrance to the dome is a text relating to the construction of the city hall. The walls of the dome have groups of bronze sculptures,madebyartistLoekieMetz.Theycommemorate the Holocaust during the

Second World War. Below the left group are the words ‘Verberg de verdrevenen, verraad vluchtelingen niet Isaiah 15:5’ [Hide the outcasts,donotbetraythefugitives,Isaiah16:5]and,belowthat,‘Indachtig 10.000 joodse inwoners van Rotterdam’ [Inmemoryof10,000JewishcitizensofRotterdam].Reliefsofthesameartist,representingtheterrorsoftheHolocaust,areaffixedtothepillars.TheworksofartwereunveiledbyHerMajestyQueenBeatrixon27October1981.Thecentre of the courtyard contains a bluestone fountain with a bronze group of children (byS.Miedema,1920).TheworkofartreferstoTrade,FisheryandTechnology,the main sources of income for Rotterdam. The fountain was a gift from the cities of Schiedam,VlaardingenandMaassluis.Thearms of these cities are also depicted around thebasin.Totheleftofthefountain,thereisa bronze statue of Neptune and to the right of thefountain,thereisastatueofMercurywithasnake.BothstatuesweresculptedbyB.IngenHousz.In1997,thecityhall’s

< DomeImagesbyLoekieMetzcommemoratethe Holocaust.

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courtyard was thoroughly renovated. Not onlywasthegarden’spatternchanged,newplantswereplantedaswell.Forinstance,thegardennowhasroses,trainedtreesand hydrangeas. The garden is bordered by boxwoodhedges,andsomephoenixpalmscan be admired during the summer. The garden was also newly paved. Above the arch-shaped entrances to the gallery below theCouncilChamber,thelargeterracottafrieze symbolizes the five main departments of the municipal administration of olden days:Education,Finance,PoorRelief,PublicWorksandBusiness(sculptedbyJ.Keller).Both stone corner figures are heralds holding the Municipal Arms.

Courtyard The bluestone fountain.

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Great hallYou are now entering the city hall. In this largecentreofthecityhall,intermsofarchitecture one of the most important parts oftheinterior,thedesignerwantedtofocuson depicting the importance of Rotterdam as a port and centre of transit traffic. The dimensionsofthehallare:20.50metreslong,20metreswideand18.40metreshigh.

European countries are depicted in the dome. Thedomeand,aboveit,the71.5-metre-hightower,restonfourmainpillarswithimages(by Johan Keller) that represent the other fourcontinents:Africa,Asia,AmericaandOceania. The top of the dome has a ‘lid’ that bears the words ‘Navigare necessare est’ (To sail is necessary) around the Municipal Arms. This ‘lid’ can be removed to provide access to the bells. This became necessary on two occasions:afterextremefrost,thesoundhadchanged such that the bells had to be ‘tuned’ in Aarle Rixtel. The motto ‘Stronger through struggle’ is absent from the municipality’s motto. This motto was only added to the official Rotterdam city arms

later,afterQueenWilhelminahadsignedtheofficialdecreetothatendon19January1948.The Crown so decreed ‘in order for future generations to remember the courage and strength with which the citizens of Rotterdam withstood all tribulations of the war and the important role it played in the liberation of the fatherland.’However,itwasimpossibletoaddthe motto to the city arms in the dome.

Great hallCentre of the city hall.

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Inthecentreofthehall,youcanseethestatueStrongerthroughstruggle,agiftfrom Queen Wilhelmina. It was unveiled by QueenJulianaon30November1951(thestatue shows David with a defeated eagle: theeagle,representingGermany,hasbeencrushed and defeated). The pedestal has aheightof1metre;thefigurehasaheightof 2.5 metres. The statue was carved from asingleblockofmarblebyMsJ.H.Hans.In order to create a contrast with the hall’s floor,whichismadeofthesamemarble,thestatueisunpolished.Itweighs5,000to6,000kilograms.Inorderforthefloortocarrythe

statue,ithadtobereinforcedbya concrete pillar in the basement. The central hallhasablackmarbleclockonahighpillar.ItwasagiftfromAmsterdam,offeredon27July1921tocelebratetheopeningof the City Hall (sculpted by Hildo Krop). The pillar is made of Pavonazzo marble andtheclocksphereismadeofbronze.Ithas a total height of 3 metres and a total weightofapproximately4,000kilograms.Upalongthemarblepillar,therearereliefsindicating man’s view of nature and the supersensible.Fromthebase,thefirst,reliefrepresentsanakedhumanfigurehidingfrom

‘Stronger trough struggle’The statue of David with a defeated eaglewascarvedfromasingleblockof Carrara marble.

Hildo Krop Sculpture by Hildo Krop.

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the disturbing heavenly light. The following figuresarethreeEgyptianfigures,thensomeGreekfigures.TheMiddleAgesaredepictedbykneelinghumanfigures;theGothicageis depicted by two figures in the shadow of achurchtower,butsurroundedbyavarietyof emblems of nature. The Renaissance is indicated by a human discovering his own heart. The spiral ends with two persons bent under a burden. This represents the present time,inwhichindividualismgrowsintoapressingburden(thisdescriptiondatesbackto1921!).Themasksatthetopofthepillarhavedifferentmeanings:brutalviolence,psychologicalviolence,materialneed,asense of a future revealing itself.

The last-mentioned reliefs are formed by agirls’face,whoseexpressionannouncesthebirthofaspiritualbalance;thelastmasksymbolizes the balance achieved between a spiritual and material existence. Behind thereceptiondesk,thethreestained-glasswindowsrefertotheworkofthefirebrigade.Theywerecreatedin1918bystudioA.Lipjesin honour of the fiftieth anniversary of the Rotterdam chief firemen and donated by theRotterdam voluntary fire brigade. The voluntary fire brigade was composed

ofseveralfire-fightingteams,so-called‘Spuiten’. Each ‘Spuit’ had its own number. ‘Spuit’11and‘Spuit’13neverexisted.Atthattime,thepremiumwaspaidtothefirstchieffiremanwhosprayedwateronthefire,ratherthan to the first chief fireman to arrive at the fire!

The central hall also contains the Marshall plaquette. This plaquette was made by Rotterdam sculptor Willem Verbon and wasunveiledon28May1997byPresidentClinton. The American president paid a visit to Rotterdam to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Marshall Aid. For on 5June1997,itwasfiftyyearsagothatSecretary of State General C. Marshall unveiled his plans for the financial support of Western Europe. He did so during the speech he held at Harvard University. His express demand was that the participating European countries had to cooperate in the implementation of the recovery programme. The Netherlands received aid amounting to $ 1,127millionfromtheUnitedStates,and,likenootherEuropeancity,Rotterdambenefitedfrom the Marshall Aid (reconstruction of thecityandport).Atthetime,allAmericancitizens

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contributed to the Marshall Aid: over fouryears,everyonepaidadditionaltaxamountingtoNLG85.00.Asathankyouforthisfinancialsupport,themunicipaladministration organized a party on 28 May 1997tohonourtheAmericanslivingintheNetherlands.

Another eye-catcher in the central hall is a WinstonChurchillbust.Itwasunveiledon30November1954,tocelebratethefactthat,on13May1946,thisBritishstatesmanwasinaugurated,onaveryexceptionaloccasion,as honorary member of the Rotterdam municipal council. The bronze statue was also made by sculptor Willem Verbon. Churchill was prime minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War and is depicted here as a Knight of the Order oftheGarter.Hewearstheknight’smantleoverhisadmiral’suniform,withtheinsigniaof Lord Warden of the Cinq Ports. The chain isthefamous‘GreatGeorge’,whichwasgranted to his greatancestor,theDukeofMarlborough.TheOrder of Merit is worn on the uniform collar. One of Churchill’s most famous quotes was ‘The world is open to you’. The V-sign (Victory),madebyholdingupthefirsttwo

fingersofonehandintheshapeofaV,atypicalgestureofChurchill’s,becameafamous symbol for many Dutch people during the war.

Onbothsidesofthegrandstaircase,there are stained-glass windows made by Henricus,anartist,in1920.Theleftwindowrepresents the beginning of the Waterway: amerchantshipintheroadsteadofHoekvan Holland. There is a strong westerly wind,becausetheshipischasingitsownsmoke.Therightwindowrepresentstheendof the waterway: the activities in one of the Rotterdamports,withseveralinlandvessels,one fishing boat and two cargo vessels. All bronze banisters and balustrades in the hall were a gift from the Holland America Line.

Central hallWinston Churchill.

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Wedding roomsYou are now entering the doors entirely to the right of the grand staircase. Through thisgallery,youarriveattheweddingrooms. The jade-coloured tiles were made by earthenware factory Porcelijne Flesch in Delft. The open room to the left is the waiting room for the marriage couples and their entourage.Abovetheradiatortotheright,youcanseeanopen-workcircle.Thisisanairduct,coveredwithahatchintheformofasun. These air ducts run throughout the city hall.Originally,rooms11through18wereused as wedding rooms. A lot has changed overtheyears.Rooms11and12arestillused as wedding rooms. You can visit these

rooms.Rooms13and14areceremonyrooms.Androoms15through18arenowrooms where political groups meet. The monumental mantelpiece of Delft tiles inRoom11wasagiftfromtheRotterdamZaankanters.TheseRotterdamtimbertradersleftforZaandamattheturnofthecentury because the timber trade increasingly concentratedontheAmsterdamshipyards,where the wood required for the seagoing vesselswasimportedviatheZuiderzeefromScandinaviancountries,forexample.TheZaandamcoatofarmscanbefoundinthetop right of the mantelpiece.

Waiting rooms Airduct,coveredwithahatchintheform of a sun.

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Grand staircaseYou now turn right through the corridor to thehall,immediatelyturninglefttothegrandstaircase. The bronze candelabras on both sides of the staircase were part of a gift from thefiveStokvisbrothers.Proceedingupthestairs,youcanseeamemorialtabletbuiltinthewallontheintermediatelanding,inmemory of the civil servants who died during the Second World War. The two Japanese vasesare1.80metreshighandweregiventothemunicipalityin1919byMrandMrsP.Kleykamp-HaagenSmit.

The stained-glass windows focus on ideal expressions of social life: ‘Sacred and profane music’totheleft,‘Sculptureandpainting’in the centre and ‘Poetry and dramatic arts’ to the right. As you go up the stairs to the left,youwillpassabronzestatueofCountFloris V (sculpted by B. Ingen Housz). Floris VbecamecountofHollandandZeelandin1256attheageof18months.HewasthesonofCountWilliamII.In1296,Floris,whowaspopularamongthepeople,wasmurderedbyGijsbrecht van Aemstel and others.

Ontheothersideofthestairs,youcanseeabronzestatueofCountWilliamIII(1285-1337),sonofJohnI.Hewascalled‘WilliamtheGood’and was Count of Holland as William lll and Count of Hainaut as William I.In1328,hegrantedrightsinadministrationandjusticetothepartofRotterdam that belonged to him. This resulted in the granting of full town privilegesforthewholeofRotterdamin1340.Theseprivilegesofferedmajorfinancialbenefitstoatown,asitwasallowedtocollecttaxesandlevy tolls.

Grand staircase Count Willem III.

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First-class wedding hallYouwillnowturntotheright,intotheCitizens’Hall(Room111)andagaintotheright into the first-class wedding hall (Room 113).Alldecorationsinthisweddinghallrepresentlove,happinessandunity.Theclock(Miedema)onthemarblemantelpieceis a symbolic representation of marriage.

Copper hearts are affixed at the left and right side of the fireplace screen. Hearts are carved in all the wooden doorposts. The panels are decorated with beautiful wood carvings. The carpet (also a design by Prof Henri Evers) contains interwoven rings as a symbol of eternal fidelity. Hearts are shown in the covers of the wall ventilators and in the radiator casings. Central heating was installed in the city hall when it was constructed,whichwasquiterevolutionaryat that time. All the rooms also contain fireplaces;however,theseareneverused.

The paintings by French painter Joseph-MariusAvyarehistoricizing,inthebesttradition of the French Salon painting. Suchensembles,wherethelinebetweendecoration and wall painting is difficult to draw,arerareintheNetherlands.Around1925,Avyfilledthelargemiddlesectionof the long wall with a wedding inspired byGreekmythology,perhapstheweddingof the gods Eros and Psyche. A sculpture of the three Graces was painted in the

Room 113First-class wedding room.

< Eros en Psyche French Salon painting.

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background.Theleftandrightsideofthislarge painting contain ‘big’ Amor figures that aretypicalofthisstyleofpainting,includinga quiver and a ribbon stating ‘Omnia vincit amor’ (‘love conquers all’). The other sections over the doors depict spectators sharing in the festivities. The way in which Avy suggests a connection between the paintings and the actual room would be fitting for a hall in a baroque palace. The sunny impressionist paint and use of colours seem very contemporary and have a somewhat alienating but cheerful effect. The painting ofabridalcouple,dovesandringsoverthe

doors to the Citizens’ Hall is an astonishing example of trompe-l’oeil technique: it really lookslikeathree-dimensionalsculptureaffixedtoabluemosaicbackground.Youcan see a bullet hole below the left branch of the centre part. The right painting over themantelpiecealsocontainsabullethole,in the arm of the young female to the right. The bullets were fired outside during the Second World War; one bullet ricocheted off the façade and damaged the central column oftheleftwindows.Inthishall,nogoldwasusedforornamentsandwallpaintings,butahigh-qualitymaterialthatlookslikegold.Ifa

marriageissolemnizedinthisweddinghall,the organ will be played before and after the ceremony and the bridal couple will stride throughtheCitizens’Hall,tobecongratulatedin front of the mantelpiece.

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Citizins’ Hall Room 111The Citizens’ Hall is a representative room forofficialmeetings,receptions,dinners,lectures,prize-givingceremoniesandsuchlike.TheCitizens’Hallis32metreslong,12.50metreswideand14.50metreshigh.

The concert organ on the gallery was given in1918byCornelisImmig.Theconstructionof the organ was seriously delayed during theFirstWorldWar.However,asorganbuilder Standaart from Schiedam wanted to completetheorganintime,helookedforother options: old tin utensils and decorative objects,suchaspots,platesandvases,werecollected and melted down. This provided him with the tin he needed for the organ pipes and the organ was finished at the same time as the Citizens’ Hall. The front side of the organ has a high straight-lined centralsectionandtworoundsidesections,connected by two small sets of straight pipes. Theorgancase(9metreshigh,6metreswideand2.80metresdeep)isdarkred and is decorated with gold piping. The pipesaremadeofanalloyof63%tinand

37%Spanishlead.Allwoodenpipesaremade of cypress. The wind chests are made ofoak.Theorgancurrentlyhastwenty-fivestops.

The regular player of the organ is Geert Bierling. He plays the concert organ during officialreceptions,first-classmarriages,concerts and other special occasions. Incidentally,theacousticsintheCitizens’Hallare considered excellent.

Air ducts have been incorporated in a semi-circleabovethegallery.Nexttotheentrance,you can see mahogany panelling with built-in radiators.TogetherwithallmarbleworksinthisCitizens’Hall,thiswasagiftfromMrA.vanHobokenvanCortgene.Allcandelabrasand chandeliers are made of bronze and were given by the Rotterdam branch of theAmsterdamBank.Thewallpaintingswere painted by Dutch painter Johan Thorn Prikker(1870-1932).TheywereagiftfromMsMariaCarolinaBlankenheijm,dowagertoMrC.J.vanNispentotPannerden,Esq.

Citizins’ Hall Representative room.

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ThornPrikkerwascommissionedin1925,five years after the completion of the city hall.Onthelongwall,hepaintedallegoricalrepresentations and illustrations on the historyofRotterdam,and,ontheshortwall,an image of the future. Exact details of the topicsareunknown;therearenorecords.The below explanation is based on verbal communicationsofThornPrikkerhimself,tothepress,forexample,andviaoraltradition.

To the left of the entrance: Rotterdam sailor OliviervanNoort(1558-1627),whowasthefirsttosailaroundtheworld(from1598to1601).Thevoyagetookthreeyears.Overthe left door is a decoration representing ‘the element of air’. The triptych depicts man’s battle against the destructive elements: water(theStElizabeth’sfloodof1421)andfire(thefireofRotterdamin1563).Thecentral painting depicts the reconstruction of RotterdamthroughthepeacefulworktitledConstructionandProtection,symbolizedbythereinforcementofdykes.Theensembleshould be seen as the expression of a general idea: the major threats to which earthly life is subject and the toiling of people who battle these threats.

Over the right door: the element of water. Both paintings to the right of this door represent the authority in its worldly and political appearance (the magistrate = the municipal administrator) and in its spiritual and moral capacity (a bishop duringanaltarconsecration).Insummary,themessage of the decoration is: Rotterdam has aglorioushistory,andalthoughdisastersandsetbacksstoodinthewayofgrowth,thecityauthorities were always prepared.

Inthelargepaintingoverthemantelpiece,ThornPrikkerpaintedthefutureofRotterdamthroughavarietyofflags.Hediedin1932,before completing this painting. Stained-glass artist Warffenius and painter Den Besten added the unfinished parts as best they could. Immediately after the paintings hadbeenplacedonthelongwall(in1927),opinions on the wall decorations appeared tobedivided,tosaytheleast.TheMunicipalExecutive believed that there was no

The futureDividedopinionsonThornPrikker’spainting of ‘the future’.

Kandelaber

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harmony with the other furnishings of the Citizens’ Hall.

However,theirproposaltothemunicipalcouncilin1929toremovethepaintingswasrejected,probablybecausethemunicipalitywould then be obliged to refund the fee andexpensesincurredbyThornPrikkerto the private individuals who had made thefundsavailable.Eventually,ahurriedlyformedcommitteein1931cameupwiththeluminous idea to match the hall’s furnishings tothepaintingsinstead!However,theadministration’sopinionin1932onthelargepainting representing the future was: ‘It would appearthatitsconceptionmarksanewphaseoftheartist.’Nowadays,itisdifficulttoimaginethatpeopletookituponthemselvestopassjudgementontheworkoftheartistsoshortlyafterhisdeath.ThornPrikkerwould undoubtedly have had his reasons for depicting a future so different from the past. Atthetime,thepaintingwasnothung,butstored in the attic of the city hall. Shortly after thewar,peoplehadbiggerproblemstoworryabout than the various style periods and the council as yet decided to hang the painting.

The large marble mantelpiece was a gift from Queen Wilhelmina. In the bronze relief over themantelpiece,Neptune,thegodoftheseashakeshandswiththeRotterivergoddess,under the watchful eye of the Meuse river goddess.TheormoluJugendstilclockinfrontofitwasagiftmadein1918.ThelettersS.P.Q.R. stand for Senatus Populus Que Roterodamus,whichmeans‘thesenateand people of Rotterdam’ (derived from Senatus Populus Que Romanus = the senate andpeopleofRome).Thepainting,alsobyThornPrikker,representsthefutureofRotterdam,withmanyflags,coatsofarmsand numbers. The coats of arms are from independent municipalities that were annexed by Rotterdam.

Jugendstil clock

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Executive Chamber Room 105The Municipal Executive meets in this chamber,theExecutiveChamber,everyTuesday afternoon and Friday morning. The wallsarecoveredwithblack-veinedmarble,interspersed with blue-grey velvet. The paintings show the last four Queens and King. From right to left:

•KingWillem-Alexander(2013-present)byRichard van Klooster;

•QueenBeatrix(1980-2013)byRienBout;•QueenJuliana(reign1948-1980)by

Adrianus van der Plas; •QueenWilhelmina(1898-1948)byHermanMees;•QueenEmma(reign1890-1898)by Dr Jan Veth.

Themantelpieceisalsomadeofblackmarble. The two bronze figures (artist D. Wolbers) represent Wisdom and Justice. ThebronzeclockwasagiftfromMrFr.Swarttouw.

The doors in the left corner provide access tothe‘royalbathroom’,specificallybuiltforuseduringstatevisits.Acalendar,whichwas a gift from Alderman J. van der Ploeg to the city at the end of his term in office (1967-1982),hangsbetweenthewindows.ItisarepresentationoftheOldMeuseBridge,created by artist Ger van lersel. The date section is a copper design of a tea crate stamp,asitwasusedintheporttonumbercrates. The usher changes the date section every day. The conference table and chairs are not part of the original furniture. The original copper chandeliers and lamps were also replaced.

JusticeTwobronzefiguresontheblack-marble

mantelpiece represent Wisdom and Justice (in this photograph).

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Antechamber MayorA copper plate in memory of the raid of Rotterdamon10November1944isaffixedtothecloseddoorofthisRoom105totheAntechamber. The wall next to this door is covered with a tile picture representing the laying of the first stone of the city hall by QueenWilhelminaon15July1915.Itwasdesigned by artist Huib Luns (father of former minister Joseph Luns). The tiles were made by De Porcelijne Flesch in Delft. The tile picture was a gift from the daughters of Mr C.Sijthoff,formernewspaperdirectoroftheRotterdamsch Nieuwsblad. Mr Sijthoff and his wife are shown at the bottom right (Sijthoff wearing glasses and a bowler). His three daughters (with governess) are shown above them.

The stained-glass section of the window was a gift from a Swiss rowing club that rowed fromBerntoRotterdamin1948.Thehangingstained-glass panel was a gift from Swiss twin townBasel,from1984.

Totheleft,youcanseethedoortotheMayor’s room. This room is not open to the public.Attheleftofthedoor,youcanseea plaquette with the portrait of Erasmus and the words ‘Plutôt moins savoir et aimer davantage’,‘Itisbettertoknowlessandlovemore’.

Ontheleftsideoftheplaque,thereisagongwithsoundstick.Inthepastthiswasusedtorequest the guests to enter the Citizins’ Hall for diner.

Laying of the first stoneThewallnexttothedoorofRoom105is covered by a tile picture.

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Waiting room Mayor

LeavingtheAntechamber,youenterthegallery. Immediately to the left is the waiting room for visitors of the Municipal Executive meetings and of the Mayor. During the construction,thelargewoodenteakbenchto the left was designed especially for this location. The tile painting over the bench represents De Oude Hooftpoort [The Old MainGate],bypainterLeonSenf.TheTowerof Babel can be found in the corner. It was givenin1974byVVDAldermanPolak(1928-2014)asathankyoufortheyears‘inwhichhehadenjoyedhisworkforthemunicipality,

which allowed him to grow’. He wanted to leave something other than ‘... a large number of initials and signatures and filling somepagesofthebookofProceedingsofthemunicipalcouncil...’Theworkofartwascreated by artist Lily ter Kuile Nijpels and represents the notion of ‘Where there is too muchselfishnessandtoolittleselflessness,the story of the Tower of Babel will repeat itself’.Theword‘IK’[ME]canbefoundallovertheworkofart.Withthisstatue,Polakwantedtomakeclear‘...thatacollectiveworkcannotbeperformedandcertainly

notcompletedifeveryonespeaksdifferentlanguages,ifpeoplenolongerunderstandeachother.AsRotterdammunicipalstaff,wemustalsokeepinmindthatwhathappenedinBabylon,whichwasalsosituatedonagreatriverinanareawithseveralrivers,willalso happen to us if the elected members andcivilservantslackthefundamentalwillingness to listen and to understand other people’spositions.Talking,workingandgoverningtogether!Notonlytheinterestsofmyowngroup,myownservice,myownvoters,notonlyME,butalsotheinterestsofothergroups,otherservices,othervoters,

< Waiting room MinusPolak,acyclingenthusiast,had his bicycle immortalized in oneoftheworksofart.

Waiting room > Medals of honour of L.A. Ketley.

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mostlyalsoUS.’Polakvoluntarilyresignedafter having been alderman for almost eight years,becausetheLabourPartyrefusedto grant his proposal to improve the then take-offandlandingrunwayofZestienhovenAirport.Polakrefusedtobearresponsibilityforthericketyrunwayanylonger.Somewhereonthestatue,MinusPolak,whoisarealcyclingenthusiast,hadhisbicycleimmortalized.

Thelargepaintingonthebackwalldepictsminehorses,ontheirwaytotheabattoir,Delaatstegang[Thelastwalk]byA.W.vanVoorden.Duringthecrisisinthe1930s,discarded horses from the English mines arrivedatRotterdambyboattwiceaweek;they served as food. Only the front pair of horses was lead; the other (sometimes hundreds of) half-blind horses followed the front pair just by listening to them.The Mayor’s secretariat is located in Room 104.Totheleftofthedoor,therearethemedals of honour of American air gunner/bombardiersergeantL.A.Ketley,whose

LancesterED423wasbroughtdownnearRidderkerkon1or2March1943.HewasburiedatCrooswijkcemetery.Hisbrothersgave the medals to the city out of gratitude for the care and attention paid to the graves ofallalliedvictimsatCrooswijkcemetery.InRoom103,thereisareminderoftheplantingofatreeintheRotterdamParkinIsrael.

Gallery The gallery with stained-glass windows.

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Galleries In the gallery there is a painting of Mayor AndrévanderLouw,paintedin1982byartistToniBurgering.Acrossfromthepainting,youcanseeoneofthecandlelanterns,whichused to be lighted in the event of power failures.Inthegalleryinfrontofyou,youcansee:• a1984etchingbyCezanyPankaski,agift

to Mayor Van der Louw during a visit to Gdansk;

• amarblebustofQueenEmma,fromtheold City Hall;

• apaintingofKingWilliamIII,acopypainted by Pieter de Josselin de Jong;

• amarblebustofKingWilliamIII,alsofromthe old City Hall;

• and,acrossfromtheseworks,arecordoftheofferingofthesecondcarillonin1948,as a substitute for the chimes that were removed by the German occupiers.

Yourwalkthroughthegallerycontinuestothe left: • a painting of Mayor W. Thomassen (term 1965-1974).Itwaspaintedin1990byFlip

Gaasendam from a photograph; • apaintingofMayorA.Peper(term1982-1998)from2008,paintedbyClazienImmink.

Reading room 106 Room106isthereadingroomofthemunicipalcouncillors.Overthedarkredmarble mantelpiece hangs a painting of Hugo de Groot. The fireplace is made of bronze. At theothersideofthereadingroom,youcanseeaclockwiththewords‘Dum loquimur ruit temps’ (Evenaswespeak,timespeedsswiftlyaway).ThisclockusedtobeintheCouncil Chamber.

Inthebackleft,theleftdoorsprovideaccessto the antechamber of the Council Chamber. Behindtherightdoors,thereisaclosetcontaining the minutes (verbatim reports) of allcouncilmeetingsfrom1970inbookform.The minutes of the meetings heldbefore1970canbeinspectedattheDeskoftheMunicipalClerk.Thespacebehindthesmall closed door contains all confidential

documents from the closed (secret) council meetings.Backinthegallery,youcansee:• a1922paintingbyAntonMolkenboer,withthewords[freelytranslated]:‘Adarkbattlefordustragesunder.Thesower,thejoyful,livesonearth.TheSpirit,theImmortal,radiates above’;

• abovedoorno.107,youcanseeamosaic,again with a representation of the explorer Olivier van Noort;

• a painting of Mayor I.W. Opstelten (period 1999-2008)from2009,paintedbyDickStapel.

Aftertheswingingdoors,totheright,youcan see the entrance to the antechamber between the Council Room and the reading room. This is also the entrance to the civil servants’ gallery of the Council Chamber. NexttotheentrancetotheCouncilChamber,

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you can see a tile picture of the former city hallinthesixteenthcentury,seenfromHoogstraat (painted by Henricus). This tile picturewasagiftfromthe‘Feijenoord’,‘HetNoorden’ and ‘Het Oosten’ Neighbourhood Associations.Alittlefurther,youcanseeatilepictureofthesamecityhall,seenfromKaasmarkt.

< Room 106 Minutes in the Reading room Council Chamber

Room 109AbovethedoortotheCouncilChamber,you can see a representation of one figure holding up a staff (Authority) in the right hand,andwiththelefthandontheLaw(Lex). The representation is made of tiles. You are entering the Council Chamber. This chamberis18metreslong,11metreswideand8.50metreshigh.Here,theMunicipalCouncil meets once every fortnight on Thursday afternoons (and often also on Thursday evenings). At the left and right side oftheCouncilChamber,largepaintings,which were painted by Marius J. Richters in1918,areonview.Aseparatejurychosehimfromfivepainterswhohadbeenaskedtodeliveradesign.JohanThornPrikkerwas one of the five painters; he was later commissioned to create the paintings for the Citizens’ Hall.

Richtersportrayedsturdyworkersdoingtheir job in the port. The colourful and noisy atmosphereofthepre-wardockindustryis

palpable.W.A.Mees,awealthyRotterdamcitizen,wastodonatethepaintings.Theonlyguideline for the painter was that the paintings had to be in line with the function oftheCouncilChamber.Otherthanthat,thepainter only had to ‘follow his inspiration’.

The function of the Council Chamber was described as follows: ‘All that is discussed at these meetings only serves one purpose: the well-being of the municipality. The growth and prosperity of a large trading city are based on the efforts of all forces of the mind,ontheenergyofthecitizens(shipping,industry,etc.)andonthelabouranddetermined policy of the administrators.’

Ontheshortwalls,Richterswantedtoportraymaterialwelfare:theGrainIndustry,theCoalIndustry,theShipbuildingIndustryand the Transport Industry. At the left and rightsideofthepublicgallery,hewantedto portray innate refinement. He painted

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the Grain Industry first. It was hung in the Council Chamber as a test. Even before the juryhadmadeadecision,hepaintedthe‘CoalDepot’asitscounterpart.Afterthat,he also painted ‘Shipbuilding Industry’ and ‘TransportIndustry’,apparentlybecausehewantedtofinishwhathestarted.However,the jury was unable to deliver a judgment andthecommissionwascancelledin1919.Accordingtothejury,theworkwas‘toobigand too bustling’; it was also considered to beold-fashioned.Richterswasdisappointed,ofcourse,butheneverthelessdeliveredthepaintingstothecityhall,wheretheywerestoredintheattic.Insteadofthepaintings,Mees donated eight golden candelabras for the Citizens’ Hall.

Yearslater,MayorOudbelievedthatthe

Council Chamber’s furnishings were too basicandheandAldermanDeZeeuwremembered that wall paintings had once beenmade.In1938,theywerehungasatest. Many objections were raised against the placement: some believed that the bright colours did not match the interior; others believed it was wrong to glorify the outdated workingmethodsintheport.Eventually,Mayor Oud (who was replaced by Mayor Müller,amemberoftheNationalSocialistMovement,fromOctober1941to7May1945)hadthepaintingshungpermanentlyin1947.

Inthatsameyear,Richterswasaskedtomakepaintingsforthetworemainingsections next to the public gallery. He abandoned his old idea to portray ‘innate

refinement’thereand,instead,hepaintedthe Towing Industry and the Inland Shipping Industry.Totheleft,youcanseethepressgallery;thegallery to the right offers room for the civil servants who are invited to give advice in support of the aldermen and councillors. All panellingismadeofoak.Thecofferedceilingisdesignedinoak-androsewood.

The top of the public gallery shows the words ‘Audendo atque agendo res romana crevit’ (It was by daring and doing that Rome grew). The public gallery used to be for members of the press. This explains the fact that the gallery is connected to the press room on the second floor of the city hall.

AbovetheexitoftheCouncilChamber,youcan read the words ‘Exulet hinc studium regnet mens omnibus aequa’ (A mind that is equal for all rules here. May party interests and personal preferences remain far from this seat). This text could originally be found on a baldachin hanging above the Mayor’s seat.Atthattime,thealdermendidnotsitnexttotheMayor,butinthechamberamongtheirpartymembers.Until1965,theMayorwas actually sitting in a chairman’s chair

< Room 109 Council Chamber.

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Public gallery

includingabaldachin,akindofthrone.Mayor Thomassen had it stored in the attic of the city hall. When leaving the CouncilChamber,youcansee,attheleftandrightsideofthedoor,thegenealogyof Rotterdam with the embroidered coats ofarmsofCool,Bolgersteyn,Kralingen,Katendrecht,Crooswijck,Wena,Delfshaven and Charlois. Professions and artsareportrayedintheoakdoorcase.

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Galleries (continued)Aftertheglassswingdoorstoyourright,youwill see at your right-hand side: • Mr S.A. VeningMeinesz,mayorofOverschiefrom1884to1896,paintedbyP.deJosselindeJong,in1892;• apaintingbyW.Arondeusfrom1923,

portrayingthebibletextZechariahchapter8:16withthewords‘Waarheidenrechtdesvredes oordeelt in uwe poorten’ [Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates];

•MayorJ.vanVollenhoven(1866-1881)intheuniformoftheHeadofPolice,paintedin1872byJanWendelGerstenhauerZimmerman;

• abovethedoortoRoom120,thecouncillors’ coffee room (not open to the public),youcanseeamosaicportrayingErasmus(1466-1536),Rotterdam’smostfamous citizen. The text reads: ‘Hier rees de groote zon en ging te Bazel onder’ [The greatsunrosehereandsetinBasel].

Desiderius Erasmus was a humanist and the most prominent intellectual of his time. HewasborninRotterdamin1466.In1487,Erasmus joined the Order of Augustinian Canonsand,in1492,hewasordaineda priest (he was later released from his religiousvowsbyPopeLeoX).From1495-1499,hestudiedinParis.Afterthat,he

stayedinEnglanduntil1506,where,duetohis friendship with Thomas More and John Colet,hebecameinterestedinthewritingsof the apostles and Christian antiquity; he wenttoItaly,backtoEngland,toLeuven,Basel and Freiburg. He later died in Basel. Erasmus was at the cradle of the development of classical philology (the science and study ofhistoricaltexts,withtheaimofdeterminingtheir authenticity and explaining them). His Adagia (sayings) and Colloquia familiaria (dialogues)wereusedastextbooksforalongtime.Forthreecenturies,hisGreekeditionofthe New Testament remained the basis of New Testament studies. He wrote his most famous work,ThePraiseofFolly,in1511.•MayorPieterJ.DroogleverFortuyn(1928-1938),paintedin1932byCornelisC.Zwaan.

Attheothersideofthehallway,youcansee:•MayorF.B.s’Jacob(term1893-1906),paintedbyJanVethin1907;

• amarblebustofJoostvanVollenhoven,mayorfrom1866to1881,byJ.Th.Stracké,originating from the old City Hall;

• apaintingofMayorJ.Wytema,LL.M.(1923-1928),paintedbyAdrianusvanderPlasin1953;

Tile picture

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•GregoriusvanOordt,threetimesinterimmayorbetween1818and1824,copybyHerman Mees of a painting by Cornelis Cels.

Ifyouturnleftattheendofthishallway,youcan see: • a painting of Mayor G.E. van Walsum (term 1952-1965)from1960,paintedbyKarelvan Veen;

• atilepicture,whichusedtobeagiftfrom the municipality of Rotterdam to the Commercial College. After this college was closeddown,thetilepicturewasreturnedto the municipality. After it had been restoredbyMrR.Pieterse,thetilepicturewasunveiledon12December1995bymunicipalclerkN.vanEck;

• apaintingofP.J.Oud,LL.M.(term1938-1952)paintedbyKarelvanVeenin1953.

Desiderius Erasmus Erasmus,ahumanistandprominentintellectual,wasborninRotterdamin1466.

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BalustradeStandinginfrontoftheCouncilChamber,youhaveabeautifulviewofthehall,thedomeand the beeches forming the Cross Plan. Intheeightsmalldomewindows,Europeis depicted in glass paintings of the then (in 1920)mostimportanttradingpartners:GreatBritain,Russia,France,Spain,Sweden,Norway and Romania. The four painted window groups in the arms of the Cross Plan represent: • Navigation (on the side of the Council Chamber),theprotagonistbeingNeptune,surrounded by the Meuse and Rotte river goddesses (gift from Mr and Mrs Gilissen vanderValk);

•Craftsmanship(ontherightside),withVulcaninthemiddle,surroundedbyajeweller,asmith,atechnicianandaprinter(giftfromMessrsHooykaas,ImmigandVos);

• Architecture (on the side of the Citizens’ Hall),withageniusinthemiddle,surrounded by the two oldest master builders of Egypt and Assyria (a gift from the ‘Architecture and Friendship’

association);•Freetrade(left),theprotagonistbeingMercury,chasingthecloudsthathidethesun,surroundedbyrepresentativesofcontinents,offeringtheirmostimportantproducts,inthepackingcustomaryatthattime (a gift from Mr A.C.Mees).

The two small top windows in the dome aboveyouweregivenasagiftin1918fromthe joint German associations in Rotterdam. The three painted double windows to the left (below the Free Trade) represent the Trade in Grain:sowing,tradingandreaping.Youpayashortvisittotheothersideofthegallery,infront of the Citizens’ Hall. The left tile picture represents‘TheFormerDelftGate,seenfromHaagscheVeer’(bypainterHenricus),also manufactured by De Porcelijne Flesch in Delft. The right tile picture shows the samegate,butviewedfromCoolsingel.The painting portrays Mayor Alfred Rudolf Zimmermann(termofoffice1906-1923,during the construction period of the city hall),paintedbyF.Arntzenius.

The two small top windows in the arched roof aboveyou,withthewords‘Travailetprogres’(Workandprogress)and‘L’unionfaitlaforce’(Unionisstrength),weregivenbyBelgianrefugees,inmemoryoftheirtemporarystayin Rotterdam during the First World War. In frontofthegrandstaircase,thereisabronzevase,donatedin1920bytheProvincialExecutive of South Holland. You are now descending the stairs to the main entrance. Totheleftofthemainentrance,thereisabronzebustofProfHenriEvers,thedesignerof this City Hall (sculpted by J. Keller).

Balustrade Glass paintings.

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In1923,thestatuewasfinancedfromtheremaining donations for the decoration of theCityHall.HendrikJordenEvers,whichwashisofficialname,camefromafamilyofarchitects.

His father was a contractor/architect in Ellecom,intheprovinceofGelderland.Evers’careerstartedin1875whenhesattheentrance examination for freehand drawing at the Academy of Visual Arts in The Hague. Afteroneyearofarchitecturaleducation,heleftforAntwerp,wherehecompletedhisstudies after another year at the academy in

Antwerp.Afterthat,heworkedinBrussels,Vienna and Budapest. He returned after tenyears,havinggainedexperienceandencyclopaedicknowledgeofarchitecturalhistory.

In1887,hewasappointedprofessoratthe Academy of Visual Arts and Technical SciencesinRotterdam.Atthattime,hewasonly31yearsold,butprovedhimselfatalentedteacher,andwasresponsiblefortheblossoming of the architecture department. In 1902,Evers’careerasateacherreacheditspinnacle when he was appointed professor at the Polytechnic School (the later Institute of

Technology)inDelft.Duringtheseyears,hewrotethebookDearchitectuurinharehoofdtijdperken[TheArchitectureinitsMainPeriods],whichbecamethestandardworkon architectural history for many students. Untilheretiredin1926,EverscontinuedtoworkinDelft,althoughheputhiseducationalactivitiesonthebackburnerduringtheconstructionofthecityhall.Hediedin1929attheageof73.OtherRotterdamstructureshe designed: • church of the Remonstrant community at

Westersingel in Rotterdam (together with J.P.StokWzn.,1895-1897);

• the Wilhelmina Fountain at Burgemeester

prof. Henri Evers

Hoffmanplein in Rotterdam (1896);

• the Caland monument at VeerkadeinRotterdam(1907).

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Attheleftsideofthelanding,youcanseeacopper bust of Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp (1598-1653).Thisadmiralfoughtduringthe First and Second Anglo-Dutch War. In August1652,hewasdischargedafteradefeatnearNieuwpoort.Attheendof1672,hewas,however,reinstatedasadmiral.Hisfamous deeds are carved to his right. At that time,‘Bestevaer’wasarespectfulnameforabeloved leader.

LandingJustlikethecentralhall,theentrancehallismade of several types of stone and marble. The three large bronze doors of the main entrance were a gift from the Chabot family. The niche behind the marble statue of Queen Wilhelmina (sculpted by Miss G.J.W. Rueb) has golden tiles. Above the former entrance to the wedding rooms (the official entrance isnowattheotherside,viaRoom12),youcan read the apt words of Joost van den Vondel,afamousseventeenth-centuryDutch

Entrance hallpoet: ‘Waar werd opreghter trou dan tussen man en vrou ter weereld oyt gevonden; twee sielen gloende aaneengesmeed of vastgeschakeltenverbondeninliefenleed.’[Where was faith more sincere than between man and woman ever found in the world; two souls forged glowingly together or steadily linkedandunitedinloveandsorrow].Alltileworksaroundthisformerentrancewereagift from the Committee of the Rotterdam Association of Cheese Exporters.

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PrinceHenry,alsoportrayedinmarble(alsobyMissRueb),wasmarriedtoQueenWilhelminafrom1901to1934.Themarblepedestal of this bust encloses the first stone oftheCityHall,officially‘laid’byQueenWilhelminaon15July1915.Thetwelvebronze candelabras were a gift from the RotterdamBankingAssociation.Thewallfountain is an allegorical representation of theriversMeuseandRotte,withdecorationsin the form of scallops. The tiles of the fountain were again manufactured by the famous factory in Delft (this is mentioned at the left side). The fountain was a gift from the ‘Het Westen’ neighbourhood association. Theroundmosaictotheleft(twosnakes)represents the medical profession; the cogwheel to the right represents industry.Asthecityhall’sdecorations,ornamentsandworksofartdepictorrefertotradeandshipping,thefollowingpoem(from1937)perfectlyillustrateshowthecitizensof Rotterdam experienced this trading and shipping function. And loved it.......

Wall fountainThe fountain wall is an allegorical representation of the rivers Meuse.

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In Rotterdam I was born Under the breath of the Meuse And I was walking, in my own silence, Surrounded by the street noise. I have been a passenger Of heavily loaded drays. I have roamed through the whole city But most of all along the quaysides. The fleet from all regions was moored The clipper and the samoureus The three-mast vessel, rigging to the sky And the ore boat, full and wide and heavy. The Lloyd fleet named after the provinces All eleven if I am not mistaken. The ‘Caland’ and the ‘Lady Tyler’ The ‘Scholten’ that stayed.

There they were moored, Ready, each in their own splendor It is as if I can still hear them roaring In farewell on a winter’s night. But this is what comes to mind From all those years ago That all scents from all over the world Were mixed together there. At Draaisteeg it smelt of coffee, At Oude Hooft of tar and rope, Of copra along the Spoorweghaven, Of lard at the Poortgebouw. Of hides on the Terwenakker And of cheese at Haringvliet. At some points the smell of yeast or Oil prevailed and at others that of jute.

Rotterdam of Jan Prins

Jan Prins was the pseudonym of Rotterdam marine officer and poet Christiaan Louis Schepp(1883-1948).On19June1937,he recited the poem during a dinner at the annualmeetingoftheDutchWritersGuild,atthe‘Zalmhuis’villainKralingseveer.The poem was included in the collection of poemstitledTeRotterdambenikgeboren[InRotterdamIwasborn],publishedbyUitgeverijDonkerinRotterdam(secondedition,1950).Thefollowingisatranslationof this poem.

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Then it was the spices From Bombay or Batavia In the Boompjes it smelt of sheep And on Spaansche Ka of onions. At ‘t Nieuwe Werk lemons left their scent And at Entrepot tobacco. In short, no smell exists That is missing from this port. But later, on my voyages When I visited all the Lord’s countries, It often struck me Here it smells of Rotterdam. And this caused me to remember That single image in my mind The image that marked my life The city of my childhood.

It is as if this port reaches throughout the world So that wherever you may go You will still remain in its vicinity. It is as if it raised us With its air, its water and its wind In space and in visions Towards the shores of our future. Whether you sail for Sydney or for Cape Town For Kobe or for Baltimore If you sail for all the world’s places If you sail all \the world’s seas Never will you feel entirely lonely If you were brought up in this city Yours to love from childhood on: that is the city of ROTTERDAM.

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Mayors of Rotterdam since the construction of the city hall:

Alfred Rudolf Zimmerman born19-01-1869;died02-07-1939Mayorfrom1May1906to15March1923.Johannes Wytema born30-05-1871;died11-07-1928Mayorfrom15September1923to11July1928.Pieter J. Droogleever Fortuyn born28-12-1868;died06-09-1938Mayorfrom15October1928to6September1938.Pieter Jacobus Oud born05-12-1886;died12-08-1968Mayorfrom15October1938to10October1941(1stterm).RemovedfromofficeinOctober1941undertheinfluence of the National Socialist Movement of the Netherlands. Frederik Ernst Müller born25-01-1889;died22-12-1960Burgemeestervan10oktober1941tot7mei1945.Pieter Jacobus Oud born05-12-1886;died12-08-1968Mayorfrom7May1945to1June1952(2ndterm).

Gerard Ewout van Walsum born21-02-1900;died27-07-1980Mayorfrom1juli1952to28februari1965.Willem Thomassen born03-10-1919,died16-06-2001Mayorfrom16april1965to31oktober1974.Arie (André) van der Louw born09-08-1933,died20-10-2005Mayorfrom16november1974to11september1981.Abraham (Bram) Peper born13-02-1940Mayorfrom18maart1982to3augustus1998.Ivo Willem Opstelten born31-01-1944Mayorfrom16februari1999to31december2008.A. (Ahmed) Aboutaleb born29-08-1961Mayorfrom5januari2009totpresent.

ColophonCompiledforthefirstHeritageDayon12September1987byGréPloeg,RotterdamMunicipalHousingandPlanningdepartment.

With the cooperation of: Employees Cityhall of Rotterdam Design and final editing: Rotterdam Service Organisation Communications Photography:HeleenGerver,JoopReijngoud,DavidRozing,andBasWilderPrinting: Veenman+

Rivisions: Firstrevision:June1991.Secondrevision:August1995.Thirdrevision:July1998.Fourthrevisionandnewdesign:October2001.Fifthrevision:January2002,withthankstoProfMarliteHalbertsmafromErasmusUniversityRotterdam,authorofEn maar altoos duurt het vitten op het nieuwe raadhuis voort... Het Rotterdamse stadhuis als representatie van Rotterdam 1912-1929,Zwolle/Rotterdam1999.’Sixthrevision:November2008.Seventhrevision:November2009.Eighthrevision:January2013.Ninthrevision:October2014.Tenthrevision:Feburary2016

The Rotterdam City Hall