Davy from Rotterdam

About me Well, I'm still a student. I guess you could call me a perpetual student. It has its advantages, though. I mean, I can explore my city whenever I want. Like the rest of my family I suffer from a persevering restlessness to discover the world. To take away some of this restlessness, I made it my personal mission to discover Rotterdam as much as possible. I'm always searching for new ...

Jun 5, 2025

Delfsche Poort Rotterdam

Eerie city gate

""Delfsche Poort" Rotterdam is a 'kind of' reconstruction of the destroyed 1764 gate, only this one is much weirder and eerier and almost looks like a..."

Believe it or not, Rotterdam was once quite the historical city. Like every medieval city, Rotterdam had a few city gates through which people entered. All of these city gates have disappeared over the years. The only one still standing is the Delfsche Poort near the Hofplein. Only thing is: it isn’t what it used to be.

The gate blocked new urban planning in the beginning of the twentieth century. The city council wanted to demolish the building, but the people from Rotterdam (historical aware as they were) protested. It was decided the Delfsche Poort should be moved a couple of meters. In the middle of this process the war broke out and the building was bombed. After this setback it was decided the gate wouldn’t be restructured.

The idea remained and half a century later a building erected which resembled the Delfsche Poort in some way. Artist Cor Kraat designed a structure, according to the drawings of the gate from 1764. It resulted in an orange skeleton with some original ornaments. It has a weird and eerie vibe. Almost like the life is sucked out of the area. Centuries ago it was a busy, lively area. Nowadays it is quiet. Still, sometimes I like to walk through it and think about the people who entered the city and had a first gaze upon the old city center.

Art & culture

About this spot

Weena

€

no-price

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