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One of the great things about visiting Rotterdam in the Netherlands is the vast pedestrian zone in the center. There are several major streets that function like a big outdoor shopping mall that you would love to explore, along with some quaint side lanes that will entice you to have a look.
And now we're going to enjoy a detailed visit to the vibrant center of downtown Rotterdam, especially the Lijnbaan, the most famous of all the pedestrian malls. The map shows the city center and our routing, including several side malls that branch off from the main street.
Lijnbaan was the first time in Europe that an automobile street was converted to exclusive use by pedestrians, making it Europe's first modern pedestrian shopping street.
It opened in 1953 after the devastation of World War II. By now this pedestrian concept has been copied by nearly every city and town in Europe and in many places throughout the world.
The stores are integrated so well with the street that it functions almost more like a standard shopping mall than a pedestrian lane, enjoying the advantages of both styles.
You'll want to get off the main lane now and then for added shops and cafés.
One of the side malls branching off here is Stadhuisplein facing the old City Hall, which we're going to visit later in the program -- a wonderful outdoor plaza with lots of dining facilities out on the terrace, very popular spot.
Shopping malls did not even exist yet in 1953, so this was really some visionary planning. The famous American shopping mall developer Victor Gruen visited here back in 1953 and was disappointed that this had opened already before his own first shopping mall ever opened.
Extending across from Stadhuisplein is another one-block-long mall, Korte Lijnbaan with more famous shops and places to eat. It's worth a little stroll to enjoy both of these side malls.
Continuing on a few blocks further south on Lijnbaan, we get to another really lovely side mall called Beurstraverse.
First crossing a rather busy intersection with lots of pedestrians and trams. There are still no cars allowed down here, but you've got these trams on steel rail at street level going by. It's a safe mix with the alert pedestrians.
From here we can look down into this lovely shopping mall called Beurstraverse. It's really something quite different. We have a split-level street scene with shops up above and shops down below, with some benches and tables out in the plaza.
It's a brilliant design because this encourages people to shop on two levels instead of just one, which is often a challenge on a normal shopping street. People just stay on the one main level on the shopping street.
Of course in a shopping mall it's always multilevel and you've got escalators and nice stairways, and that's what we find here. It's another one of these hybrids between shopping mall and a retail pedestrian street.
There is a charming curve to the architecture of the plaza which gives it cozy and comfortable feeling.
The nickname for this places the Koopgoot, that means 'shopping gutter', and from that lower level you can walk right into the metro station.
Looking down from street level for a final view of that lower mall, a lovely place to visit. Often when you're walking in the streets of the Netherlands you'll come upon a big calliope playing some pipe music. The street continues as Hoogstraat heading over to the Markthal that we've shown you in another episode.
Leaving the shopping malls now, walking a few blocks south to one of the most popular streets in the city, Witte de Withstraat.
Witte de Withstraat is one of those perfect urban streets. It's got everything. There are sidewalk restaurants, ethnic cuisines, cafés, bars, music clubs at night, art galleries, shops, wide sidewalks for pedestrians, trees providing shade. You can see why it's one of the most popular places for the locals to hang out.
The atmosphere here is more relaxed and slightly Bohemian compared to the shopping malls that we've just seen earlier, and yet it's a family-friendly place, unlike during the 1970s when it was noted for seedy bars and illegal gambling. Now it's a bit of urban heaven.
Right around it is a residential neighborhood that also includes some small hotels and vacation rentals.
Now we're walking a few blocks back up north to the City Hall, the Stadhuis.
Behind me is the City Hall. It's one of the few buildings that survived the bombing of World War II.
Called Stadhuis, it's a grand structure that was built between 1914 and 1920 in somewhat of a Renaissance style, located on a major boulevard, the Coolsingel, and still functions today is the seat of government with the mayor's office and the Council Chambers.
The building is open with free admission to the public areas on the ground floor, where you will find some lovely surprises. So step inside.
It's a beautiful building with an amazing lobby.
