Rotte (river)
Encyclopedia
The Rotte is a river the in Rhine-Maas
-delta in the Netherlands. It rises in Moerkapelle
in the so-called Green Heart
. It flows past Bleiswijk
and Bergschenhoek
; in Rotterdam
it flows into the Nieuwe Maas
. The Rotte is the namesake of the city of Rotterdam: the city was founded in the 13th Century when a dam was built across the river.
The Rotte then flows past the village of Hillegersberg
, which was built on a sand dune and was one of the few places in the marsh
land that could be permanently settled before the dikes were constructed. In the churchyard there are the ruins of a 13th Century castle from, whose origins probably date back to times of the Roman Empire.
On the outskirts of Rotterdam, the Rotte merges with the Crooswijkesingel. Here we find an old factory building of the Heineken
brewery, which was brought here in the city due to the efforts of Lodewijk Pincoffs.
The Inner Rotte, that is, the part of the river in the Rotterdam city area, had to give way in 1869-1871 to the construction of the "Luchtspoor", an elevated section of the railway line. The river water was diverted via the Stokvisverlaat, the Delftse Vaart and Vlasmarktsluis to the Leuvehaven. When the Luftwaffe bombed the city in 1940, this connection was also damaged. During the Second World War, city planner Gerrit Willem Witteveen created a new connection to Leuvehaven. After the war, the Rotte was no longer used for freight transport.
The construction of the East-West line of the Rotterdam Metro
interrupted the direct connection between the Rotte and Nieuwe Maas. Since then, the river water flows through an underground channel to the Oostplein.
In 1993 the elevated section of the railroad was demolished; trains now use the "Willemspoor" tunnel. Plans were made to dredge the old river bed and fill it with water. These plans were never implemented. The Inner Rotte is now a wide avenue, where events such as markets can be held. The former dam was situated where today the Inner Rotte crosses the Hoogstraat ('High Street').
Maas
Maas is the name, in English borrowed from the Dutch language, of a river that is also named Meuse , in English borrowed from French language. The practical use in English may be influenced by the context at a lower or upper stream location....
-delta in the Netherlands. It rises in Moerkapelle
Moerkapelle
Moerkapelle is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located about 6 km east of the city of Zoetermeer, in the municipality of Zevenhuizen-Moerkapelle....
in the so-called Green Heart
Groene Hart
The Groene Hart is a relatively thinly populated area in the Dutch Randstad. The major Dutch cities of Rotterdam, Den Haag, Leiden, Haarlem, Amsterdam and Utrecht lie around this area...
. It flows past Bleiswijk
Bleiswijk
Bleiswijk is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of 10,222 in 2006, and covered an area of 21.96 km² of which 0.83 km² is water...
and Bergschenhoek
Bergschenhoek
thumb|250px|right|Town signBergschenhoek is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands. It is situated roughly 10 km to the north of Rotterdam in the province of South Holland. The former municipality had a population of 16,608 in 2006, and covered an area of 15.52 km² of which...
; in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
it flows into the Nieuwe Maas
Nieuwe Maas
The Nieuwe Maas distributary of the Rhine River, and a former distributary of the Maas River, in the Dutch province of South Holland. It runs from the confluence of the rivers Noord and Lek, and flows west through Rotterdam. It ends west of the city where it meets the Oude Maas , near Vlaardingen,...
. The Rotte is the namesake of the city of Rotterdam: the city was founded in the 13th Century when a dam was built across the river.
The Rotte then flows past the village of Hillegersberg
Hillegersberg
Hillegersberg is a neighborhood of Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was founded as a village in the Middle Ages...
, which was built on a sand dune and was one of the few places in the marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
land that could be permanently settled before the dikes were constructed. In the churchyard there are the ruins of a 13th Century castle from, whose origins probably date back to times of the Roman Empire.
On the outskirts of Rotterdam, the Rotte merges with the Crooswijkesingel. Here we find an old factory building of the Heineken
Heineken
Heineken is a Dutch beer which has been brewed by Heineken International since 1873. It is available in a 4.6% alcohol variety in countries such as Ireland. It is the flagship product of the Heineken company and is made of purified water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. In 1886 H...
brewery, which was brought here in the city due to the efforts of Lodewijk Pincoffs.
The Inner Rotte, that is, the part of the river in the Rotterdam city area, had to give way in 1869-1871 to the construction of the "Luchtspoor", an elevated section of the railway line. The river water was diverted via the Stokvisverlaat, the Delftse Vaart and Vlasmarktsluis to the Leuvehaven. When the Luftwaffe bombed the city in 1940, this connection was also damaged. During the Second World War, city planner Gerrit Willem Witteveen created a new connection to Leuvehaven. After the war, the Rotte was no longer used for freight transport.
The construction of the East-West line of the Rotterdam Metro
Rotterdam Metro
The Rotterdam Metro is a rapid transit system operated in Rotterdam and surrounding municipalities by RET. The first line, called Noord - Zuidlijn opened in 1968 and ran from Centraal Station to Zuidplein, crossing the river Nieuwe Maas in a tunnel. It was the first metro system to open in the...
interrupted the direct connection between the Rotte and Nieuwe Maas. Since then, the river water flows through an underground channel to the Oostplein.
In 1993 the elevated section of the railroad was demolished; trains now use the "Willemspoor" tunnel. Plans were made to dredge the old river bed and fill it with water. These plans were never implemented. The Inner Rotte is now a wide avenue, where events such as markets can be held. The former dam was situated where today the Inner Rotte crosses the Hoogstraat ('High Street').